The Capabilities and Limitations of a Computer

• Capabilities of a Computer

These are the following capabilities of a computer:

1. Speed
- With a speed reaching up to fifty million operations per
second, a computer can process data faster than any
other machine designed to perform a similar task.
2. Repetitiveness
- A computer can perform the same operation a
million times in exactly the same way. The various
operations are executed automatically by way of stored
computer programs.
3. Accuracy
- High-speed processing by a computer is accompanied
by high-accuracy results. A computer can be considered
100% accurate. The electronic circuitry of computers is
such that, when the machines are fed with correct
instructions or data and when the incoming data is error-
free, the accuracy of the output is relatively assured.
4. Logical Operations
- The computer can make a decision based on
alternative courses of action. The decisions of a
computer are, however, dependent on the programs
prepared for it by the programmer. A decision consists
of two steps, namely:

a. Determining if a certain statement is true or false

b. Based on the result of the first step, choosing one or the

other course of action out of the alternatives provided in
the computer program.
5. Computer Storage
- A computer has the ability to store large amounts of
data in compact and easily retrievable form. It can store
data at a very high speed.
6. Discipline
- Discipline means that a computer can self-check and
self-operate. A computer self-checks when it verifies the
accuracy if its own work by means of a parity check. In a
parity check, the computer counts the number of
characters it has stored to make sure that there will be
no loss of data during processing. In self-operation, a
computer is capable of executing instructions on its own,
without human intervention, once the program and the
data are fed into the computer’s memory.
• Limitations of Computer

The computer has the following limitations:

1. A computer cannot generate information on its own.

While it is true that a computer has the capacity to put
together information from many sources, it can only do
this if it has been programmed by man to do so.
2. A computer cannot correct wrong instruction. If a
computer is fed with incorrect instructions or data,
whether intentionally or unintentionally, it does not have
the capability to detect mistakes and correct them. In
computer language, this is known as GIGO (garbage in
garbage out). This means that a computer that has been
fed with a wrong set of instructions or data will similarly
produce wrong information and wrong decisions.
Therefore, any corrections must be done by the
programmer.