Project Summary: If you’ve gone grocery shopping, put gas in your car, watched a weather report on TV, or used a microwave oven today, then you’ve interacted with a computer. Most of us use computers every day, often without even realizing it. Computers have become so commonplace that we don’t even consider them computers. In chapter 1, we discuss what a computer is and look at the development of computers in the past few centuries. A computer is a programmable machine that converts raw data into useful information. Programming—in particular, (Applications Software) is what makes a computer a flexible and powerful tool. In chapter 2, we look at software applications for both business and personal use.