For instance, I have a programmable watering system for outside. It has knobs for frequency and duration. Is it really computing anything, or is it full of non-computing electronics?
In: Engineering
The term computer predates electronics but was really used the way that we now use the term calculator. The term has been applied to people who do math calculations (without the aid of an electronic computer). Charles Babbage completed a difference engine in 1822 and this is widely regarded as the first computer and used gears and wheels powered by a hand crank.
In current day language use the word computer almost exclusively refers to electronics.
Latest Answers