Describe
Advantages of Computer. (5)
Ans: The
following are the advantages of Computer :
(1)
Speed: The
computer works at almost the speed of light. It can do about 30,00,000
calculations per second. It processes large volume of data in just a fraction
of a second. In fact, its speed which was initially measured in milliseconds is
now measured in microseconds, nanoseconds and picoseconds (10-3 , 10-6, 10-9
and 10-12 seconds) respectively. Once raw data/ information relating to accounting
transactions are fed, computer prepares journal and subsidiary books, does
ledger posting, balances ledger accounts and prepares trial balance, final
accounts and required accounting statements in a very short time. Thus, a
computer can complete a task in less than an hour, which would have earlier
taken a year for a group of people to complete.
(2)
Phenomenal memory (Storage): Unlike human
beings, a computer doesn’t forget anything and its primary and secondary memory
together enable it to store and retrieve a huge amount of data / information.
Its memory is large enough to store a huge amount of varied information for a
considerably long period of time or permanently.
(3)
Accuracy: Computer never makes mistakes and invariably gives correct and accurate
answers. In case of any wrong computer-generated answers, the defect invariably
lies in the humanware. It can be either attributed to wrong programming or
wrong feeding of data or information.
(4)
Diligence: Unlike
human beings, a computer doesn’t get tired or bored by doing the same job
repeatedly. In fact, it gives the same quality of work and level of speed,
accuracy and neatness even after several hours of continuous work. These
features makes it especially suitable for repetitive work or job like accounting.
(5)
Automation: Once the
program and the raw data / information are fed into the computer, it will
automatically execute the different steps or stages one after another without
needing any reminder or additional human effort.
(6)
Versatility: A computer possesses great versatility and hence it can be put to an
infinite number of uses. In fact, it can do almost any type of work once it has
been reduced to a series of logical and systematic steps to be performed one
after another. Computer can be used in banks, in railway reservation, in
colleges to prepare mark-list and checking objective type questions, in offices
to prepare financial accounting, in hospitals, in shares analysis, etc.
