computation

American  

[kom-pyoo-tey-shuhn] / ˌkɒm pyʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act, process, or method of computing; compute; calculation.

2. a result of computing. compute.

3. the amount computed.

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computation British  

/ ˌkɒmpjʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a calculation involving numbers or quantities

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Other Word Forms

• computational adjective
• computative adjective
• computatively adverb
• miscomputation noun
• noncomputation noun
• recomputation noun

Etymology

Origin of computation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin computātiōn-, stem of computātiō, from computāt(us) “reckoned” (past participle of computāre “to reckon, sum up”; compute ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

The aim is to find a material that can store information, perform computation, and adapt within the same physical structure and do so in real time.

From Science Daily

Items in short supply include the ultrathin layers of silicon substrate some chips require and memory chips, the semiconductors that feed data to AI processors and help store the results of computations.

From The Wall Street Journal

This process is thought to underlie decisions, thoughts, and memories, and studying it directly could help explain how the brain performs complex computations.

From Science Daily

But dismissing these behaviors as “mere” computation assumes we know what consciousness requires.

From The Wall Street Journal

If we want a serious account of how brains compute, and what it would take to build minds in other substrates, we first need a broader definition of what "computation" can be.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• calculation
• computing