Computers
CLASSES OF DIGITAL COMPUTER
Super Computers
When we talk about types of computers, the first type that comes
to our mind would be Super computers. They are the best in
terms of processing capacity and also the most expensive ones.
These computers can process billions of instructions per second. Normally, they
will be used for applications which require intensive numerical computations
such as stock analysis, weather forecasting etc. Other uses of supercomputers
are scientific simulations, (animated) graphics, fluid dynamic calculations,
nuclear energy research, electronic design, and analysis of geological data
(e.g. in petrochemical prospecting). Perhaps the best known super computer
manufacturer is Cray Research. Some of the "traditional" companies
which produce super computers are Cray, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
As of July 2009, the IBM Roadrunner, located at Los Alamos
National Laboratory, is the fastest super computer in the world.
Mainframe
Computers
Mainframe computers can also process data at very high speeds
vi.e., hundreds of million instructions per second and they are also quite
expensive. Normally, they are used in banking, airlines and railways etc for
their applications.
Mini Computers
Mini computers are lower to mainframe computers in terms of
speed and storage capacity. They are also less expensive than mainframe
computers. Some of the features of mainframes will not be available in mini
computers. Hence, their performance also will be less than that of mainframes.
Micro Computers
The invention of microprocessor (single chip CPU) gave birth to
the much cheaper micro computers. They are further classified into
·
Desktop Computers
·
Laptop Computers
·
Handheld Computers(PDAs)
Analog Computers
Analog Computer is a computing device that works on continuous
range of values. The results given by the analog computers will only be
approximate since they deal with quantities that vary continuously. It
generally deals with physical variables such as voltage, pressure, temperature,
speed, etc.
Digital Computers
On the other hand a digital computer operates on digital data
such as numbers. It uses binary number system in which there are only two
digits 0 and 1. Each one is called a bit.
The digital computer is designed using digital circuits in which
there are two levels for an input or output signal. These two levels are known
as logic 0 and logic 1. Digital Computers can give more accurate and faster
results.
Digital computer is well suited for solving complex problems in
engineering and technology. Hence digital computers have an increasing use in
the field of design, research and data processing.
Based on the purpose, Digital computers can be further
classified as,
·
General Purpose
Computers
·
Special Purpose
Computers
Special purpose computer is one that is built for a specific
application. General purpose computers are used for any type of applications.
They can store different programs and do the jobs as per the instructions
specified on those programs. Most of the computers that we see today, are
general purpose computers.
Hybrid Computers
A hybrid computer combines the desirable features of analog and
digital computers. It is mostly used for automatic operations of complicated
physical processes and machines. Now-a-days analog-to-digital and
digital-to-analog converters are used for transforming the data into suitable
form for either type of computation.
For example, in hospital’s ICU, analog devices might measure the
patients temperature, blood pressure and other vital signs. These measurements
which are in analog might then be converted into numbers and supplied to
digital components in the system. These components are used to monitor the
patient’s vital sign and send signals if any abnormal readings are detected.
Hybrid computers are mainly used for specialized tasks.
©
Abhishek Srivastava
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