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[[Image:Columbia Supercomputer - NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility.jpg|right|thumb|The [[NASA]] [[Columbia (supercomputer)|Columbia Supercomputer]].]]
A '''computer''' is a [[
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. <ref>In 1946, [[ENIAC]] consumed an estimated 174 kW. By comparison, a typical personal computer may use around 400 W; over four hundred times less. {{Ref harvard|kempf1961|Kempf 1961|a}}</ref> Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a [[Watch|wrist watch]] and be powered from a [[watch battery]]. Society has come to recognize [[personal computer]]s and their portable equivalent, the [[laptop computer]], as icons of the [[information age]]; they are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the [[embedded computer]]. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from [[fighter aircraft]] to [[industrial robot]]s, [[digital camera]]s, and even [[toy|children's toys]].
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