Computer

A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format.

The Columbia Supercomputer, located at the NASA Ames Research Center.

The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a netbook to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.