Home > Science Fact Finder > Mathematics, Numbers, and Computers - What Is A Computer Program?
Mathematics, Numbers, and Computers - What Is A Computer Program?
What is a computer program?
A computer program is a set of step-by-step instructions, similar to a recipe, that tells a computer what to do. Computer programs are considered "software," as opposed to the physical and electronic parts of the computer, which are considered "hardware." A program, which is stored in the computer's memory, allows the computer to perform a range of functions.
Programs are written in high-level, technical codes (called "languages"), such as Basic and C+ + , Java (used on the World Wide Web), and Fortran. These languages have interfaces in English or graphics. (The interface is the interaction between the computer and the person using it. It consists of the words or images that the user sees and responds to.) Some examples of the wide array of computer programs commercially available today include: the Microsoft Windows operating system, WordPerfect word processor program, Lotus spreadsheet...
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