Computer processing involves manipulating the symbols that people use to represent things. Likewise, we create and manipulate many kinds of symbols that represent the facts and concepts of our lives.
The word data is the plural form of datum which means fact. Data are facts-the raw materials of information. Data are represented by symbols, but they are not information except in a limited sense. As used in data processing, information is data arranged in an order and from that is useful to the people who receive it. That information is a relevant knowledge, produced as the output of data processing operations and acquired by people to enhance understanding and to achieve specific purposes.
The following four operations are the only ones a computer can perform, but they enable computers to carry out the data processing activities:
- Input/output operation
- Text manipulation and calculation operation
- Logic/comparison operation
- Storage and retrieval operation
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