Computers come in various types and these may be classified in various ways.

Generally, computers are classified according to: Purpose: whether the computer is general purpose or special purpose. Type of data handled: whether the computer is using analog, digital data or a combination of both. Capacity: whether the volume of work that the computer can handle is large or small.
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1. General Purpose Computers These computers are designed to handle a variety of different problems and to meet different needs. A general-purpose computer can be used for such varied applications as payroll, accounts receivable, inventory control, budgeting and sales analysis.
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General Purpose Computers

Laptop Micro Mini Macro Super

Laptop:

This type of small computer looks like an office brief case and called laptop. The laptops are also termed as Portable Computers. Due to the small size and light weight. Laptop is useful for businessman.

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A typical laptop computer has all the facilities available in micro computer.
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Micro Computer:
These computers are used in small business applications and for home computing. The micro computers are commonly termed as PC (Personal Computer ) The mini computers are very popular in time sharing requirements, where many users can utilize a single computer at the same by attaching terminal to it. These computers are also found in laboratories for all types of scientific and engineering work.
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Mini Computer:

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Macro Computer:

The large size computers including all peripherals and attached equipment are termed as Macro or Mainframe computers. A mainframe computer might support thousand of users, such as worldwide airline reservation system. The mainframe used heavily in all kinds of business organization.

Super Computer:

Very big computers used for complex scientific calculations are called super computers. These computers have the capabilities much more than a mainframe computer. These are the most costly computers. Super computers are used in nuclear physics research, experimental oil fields, feather forecasting, satellite controlling, etc.
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2. Special Purpose Computers These computers are designed to handle a specific problem or to perform a specific task. Examples of special purpose computers are those used for collecting highway tolls, airline reservations, satellite tracking, air traffic control and industrial process control.
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1.

Analog computers All the measuring devices are called Analog computers. An analog computing devices can measure only the continuously variable quantities such as temperature,pressure , distance, voltage , etc. Analog computers are commonly used for scientific and engineering problems, particularly in chemical industries, electric power plants, and petroleum refineries. They are special computers.
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Examples of analog computers

Thermometer

is an example of analog

computer.
It

measures continuous variable (changeable) values.

Traditional

automatic watches are also example of analog computers

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2.Digital Computers

Digital computers are computers that specialize in counting. Unlike the analog computer which receives data in a continuous form, the digital computer handles values that are in a discrete The digital computer has a memory and solve problems by counting precisely, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and comparing. Usually when we talk about computers they are digital computers.
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3.Hybrid Computers
Hybrid

means the combination of two

things. Hybrid computers are the combination digital and analog. They have ability to measure continuous quantities like analog computers and represent the values of measurements in digital form.
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Example of Hybrid Computers

Digital

petrol pumps are the example of hybrid computers. They measure physical quantity and represent its values in digital form.

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