Computers range from the very small to the very large. Some are capable of doing millions of calculations in a single second, while others may take long periods of time to do even the most simple calculations.

But theoretically, anything one computer is capable of doing, another computer will also be able to do. Given the right instructions, and sufficient memory, a computer found in a wristwatch should be able to accomplish anything a supercomputer can — although it might take thousands of years for the wristwatch to complete the operation. At one time, computers were extremely large, and required enormous amounts of power. This made them useful only for a small amount of tasks — computing trajectories for astronomical or military applications, for example, or code breaking.

Over time, with technological advances, the computer was scaled down and its energy requirements lowered immensely. This allowed the power of the computer to be harnessed for a staggering array of uses. As prevalent as personal computers are, they do not nearly begin to scratch the surface of computer use in our world. Interactive devices of all sorts contain their own computers. Cellular telephones, GPS units, portable organizers, ATM machines,

gas pumps, and millions of other devices all make use of computers to streamline their operations, and to offer features which would be impossible without a computer. A computer like this is often referred to as an embedded computer. An embedded computer is differentiated from a personal computer because it is essentially static in its function. While a personal computer, or some cellular telephones, or some personal organizers are able to have new software installed, and make use of a wide range of features, an embedded computer usually has only a few purposes, which are relatively fixed once the computer is manufactured.

Embedded systems vary in the amount of change that can happen to them after production. An MP3 player, for example, is an embedded computer, but can have quite a bit of interaction and changes made to it. It may allow the user to alter the colors used, change the clock, update firmware, and change the songs or playlists in memory. An embedded computer within a traffic light, to take another example, is probably quite fixed. It is set to respond to a few certain programs — time of day, a trigger when a car approaches, and perhaps input from a central database in the case of more advanced systems.

These programs are not built for interactivity, and will likely never be changed over the system’s life. The computer is one of the most powerful innovations in human history. With the use of computers, people are suddenly able to perform a staggering amount of computations at dazzling speeds. Information can be crunched, organized, and displayed in the blink of an eye. As technology continues to advance, the computer will no doubt become even more pervasive On embedded computers: a computer outright is a machine that can process or compute data.

An electronic computer is an electronic machine that runs software and accepts user input of data or commands. You then have machines that are micro processor (uP) controlled by an embedded software. Even with a computer the heart of the machine is the Micro Processor or refereed to the CPU which can be an array of them. Today's equipment is integrated with uPs that either run from ROM or PROMs.

They do not really run software like the PC's or mainframes do. Automated equipment is controlled this way. Some times equipment is run from computers. Cars and trucks have these systems. In some specialized uses uP are integrated in systems like flight controls that can run specialized software but are not considered computers or PC. The technicians and engineers that work on these systems are not considered as computer people but avionics systems workers. They do employ computer software and hardware engineers to integrate the systems to uP control.