Could you make a list of all the ways computers affect your life? You might need a computer to help you!
Computers calculate. Supercomputers can do more than a billion calculations per second. They solve math problems that would take humans months, or even years. In offices, they figure out how much workers earn. Then they print the paychecks. In schools, computers store student records, keep track of what’s in the library, and create class lists. They often do the work of textbooks. In some homes, they control heat, light, air-conditioning, cameras, windows, and doors. In factories, computers run machines that make everything from airplanes to zippers. In hospitals, they scan brains and find tumors. They run telephones, cars, trains, and planes. You can’t even get away from computers by leaving Earth. Astronauts use computers to keep spaceships on course and send data back to Earth. Computers have let us start an information avalanche. We can’t do without them!