digital computer

American  

noun

1. a computer that processes information in digital form.

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digital computer British  

noun

1. an electronic computer in which the input is discrete rather than continuous, consisting of combinations of numbers, letters, and other characters written in an appropriate programming language and represented internally in binary notation Compare analog computer

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Etymology

Origin of digital computer

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

"From a technical perspective, Colossus was an important precursor of the modern electronic digital computer," he said.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2024

"The brain has a fundamentally different architecture than a digital computer," said Northwestern's Mark C. Hersam, who co-led the research.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

Bletchley Park’s wartime scientists developed Colossus, the first programmable digital computer, to crack the Lorenz cipher that Hitler used to communicate with his generals.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023

You can’t really simulate this on a digital computer because it’s too complicated.

From Scientific American • Sep. 25, 2023

When the digital computer was invented, none of those who made it a reality knew that it would contribute to more than the mechanization of number crunching.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai