inputcomputing
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Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
Assorted References
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automaton
( in automata theory )
More general automata are designed to respond to changes in external conditions or to other inputs. For example, thermostats, automatic pilots of aircraft, missile guidance systems, telephone networks, and controls of certain kinds of automatic elevators are all forms of automata.
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computer peripherals
( in computer: Input devices )
A plethora of devices falls into the category of input peripheral. Typical examples include keyboards, mice, trackballs, pointing sticks, joysticks, digital tablets, touch pads, and scanners.
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logic
( in applied logic: Computer design and programming )
In the most general terms a computer is a device that calculates a result (“output”) from one or more initial items of information (“input”). Inputs and outputs are usually represented in binary terms—i.e., in strings of 0s and 1s—and the values of 0 and 1 are realized in the machine by the presence or absence of a current (of electricity, water,...
Citations
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productivity measurement productivity
Labour input is relatively easy to measure if one is content to count heads of persons engaged in production or, preferably, hours worked. But in fact, the available hours data often relate to hours paid for, rather than hours worked, and these tend to rise in relation to hours at the workplace as the number of paid holidays and leaves are increased. Official estimates generally do not...
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automaton automata theory
More general automata are designed to respond to changes in external conditions or to other inputs. For example, thermostats, automatic pilots of aircraft, missile guidance systems, telephone networks, and controls of certain kinds of automatic elevators are all forms of automata.
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computer peripherals computer
A plethora of devices falls into the category of input peripheral. Typical examples include keyboards, mice, trackballs, pointing sticks, joysticks, digital tablets, touch pads, and scanners.
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logic applied logic
In the most general terms a computer is a device that calculates a result (“output”) from one or more initial items of information (“input”). Inputs and outputs are usually represented in binary terms—i.e., in strings of 0s and 1s—and the values of 0 and 1 are realized in the machine by the presence or absence of a current (of electricity, water,...
economic analysis developed by the 20th-century Russian-born U.S. economist Wassily W. Leontief, in which the interdependence of an economy’s various productive sectors is observed by viewing the product of each industry both as a commodity demanded for final consumption and as a factor in the production of itself and other goods. Certain simplifying assumptions are made, such as that productive resources will always be combined in the same proportions to produce any amount of a final product. Then it is possible to determine the total quantities of various goods that must be produced to obtain a given amount for final consumption.
The analysis usually involves constructing a table in which each horizontal row describes how one industry’s total product is divided among various production processes and final consumption. Each vertical column denotes the combination of productive resources used within one industry. If, for example, the first row of a table for a very simple economy describes the distribution of the total production of trucks, it would show that a certain quantity of trucks is used in the production of more trucks, a certain quantity in the production of agricultural commodities, a certain quantity in the production of houses, a certain quantity by private households, and so on. If the numbers are added across the row, the total quantity of trucks produced is obtained. A table of this type illustrates the dependence of each industry on the products of other industries: for example, an increase in food output is also seen to require an increase in the production of trucks.
Input–output tables can be constructed for whole economies or for segments within economies. They are useful in planning the production levels in various industries necessary to meet...
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computer peripherals computer
Digital tablets and touch pads are similar in purpose and functionality. In both cases, input is taken from a flat pad that contains electrical sensors that detect the presence of either a special tablet pen or a user’s finger, respectively.
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closed-loop feedback control automation
The input to the system is the reference value, or set point, for the system output. This represents the desired operating value of the output. Using the previous example of the heating system as an illustration, the input is the desired temperature setting for a room. The process being controlled is the heater (e.g., furnace). In other feedback...
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