If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

Computers close computerA device that processes information by following a set of rules called a program. and digital devices work by storing and processing information. If information has been ...

Your commands, ideas, demands and concepts form the data your system processes and stores. Without user input, a computer simply takes up desktop space and waits for directions, like a lost motorist ...

This provides the basic instructions for a PC's hardware, and is coded into the computer's ROM (or Read Only Memory). The settings in the BIOS can be modified to change certain features of how the ...

Every peripheral device (keyboard, modem, monitor, etc.) requires a control circuit that interfaces with the computer's processor (CPU). These circuits are either built into the chips on the ...