Computer Applications In Business: The Characteristics of Computers

The Characteristics of Computers

Speed
A computer is a very fast device. It can perform in a few seconds the amount of work that a human being can do in an entire year – if he work day and night and is nothing else. To put in a different manner, a computer does it in one minute what take a man entire lifetime.

The units of speed are microseconds, nanoseconds and even the picoseconds. A powerful computer is capable of performing about 3 to 4 million simple arithmetic operations per second.

AccuracyAccuracy of a computer is consistently high and the degree of accuracy of a particular computer depends upon its design. But for a particular computer, each and every calculation is performed.

VersatilityVersatility is one of the most wonderful things about computer. One moment, it is preparing the results of particular examination, the next moment it is busy preparing electricity bills, and in between it may be helping an office secretary to trace an important letter in seconds.

All that is required to change its talent is to slip in a new program into it. Briefly, a computer is capable of performing almost any task provided that the task can be reduced to a series of logical steps.

Power of RememberingA computer can store and recall any amount of information because of its secondary storage capability.

Every piece of information can be retain as long as desired by the user and can be recalled as and when required.

Even after several years, the information recalled will be as accurate as on the day when it was fed to the computer.

No I.QA computer is a magical device. It can only perform tasks that a human being can. The difference is that it performs these tasks with unthinkable speed and accuracy.

It posses no intelligence of its own, Its I.Q is zero at least till today. It has to be told what to do and in what sequence. Hence, only the user can determine what tasks a computer will perform.

Computer cannot take its own decision in this regard.

Common Data UsedOne item can be involved in several different procedures or accessed, update and inspected by a number of different users.

This can hinder the work of those who need access to data. As the time is changing, more and more facilities are being added to the computers they can perform but in practical life many tasks are limited to these basic operations.

Diligence
The computer is a machine. It does not tired. Nor does it loses concentration even after working continuously for a long time This characteristics is especially useful for those jobs where same tasks is done again and again.