General
Computer Question 3: How are computers used in Banking and Finance?
Answer: Computers have become an indispensable
tool in the handling of money and finances. Computerized ATM machines and credit
card machines are now familiar throughout the United States and in many other
countries in the world. Although they have only been in existence for a short
while, many of us now take them for granted and expect our bank to provide
these computerized services whenever and wherever we need them. Many do not
realize that these machines are part of the huge electronic network that has
been put in place in the banking and financial services industries. The ATM
machines and the credit card machines provide our interface with
the bank's computers.
Computers are also used extensively
in the world of stocks and investments. Around the world, investors, investment
brokers, financial advisors, and the stock exchanges themselves rely on huge
databases of information about world financial markets. Through a worldwide
network of computers, this information can be quickly updated as financial
events occur. This computerized financial network has created a global market
for currencies and financial instruments. Today, a change in a stock on the
Hong Kong stock market will be known instantly by everyone who has access to
the computer network.
General Computer Question 4: How are computers used in
Education?
Answer: Today, computers can be found in every school.
From kindergarten to graduate school, the computer is being used for learning,
for record keeping, and for research. A variety of computer-assisted
instruction ( CAI) programs are now being used to
facilitate the learning of nearly every educational topic. Multimedia-based
learning systems can deliver information to students in the form of sound and
video in addition to text and pictures. Using these new tools, students can
gain control over their own learning as the computer delivers the instruction
at the student's desired pace, monitors their progress, and provides
instantaneous feedback. And, because computers can now take over some of the
instruction that used to take place in the classroom, teachers are free to work
with students who need more concentrated attention.
General Computer Question 5: How are computers used in
Medicine?
Answer: Computers are now so widely used in medicine
they are changing the very structure of our society's health care system. They
are used extensively for basic tasks such as keeping track of patient
appointments and they are used widely for diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Diagnosis of illness can be aided through the use of databases that contain
information on diseases and symptoms and laboratory tests on blood and tissue
chemistry have become dependant on computer analysis. In addition, such
computer-based technologies as computer tomography ( CAT)
scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
which allow the physician to see the organs of the body in three dimensions,
can provide direct evidence of disease.
General Computer Question 6: How are computers used in
Business?
Answer: Business was one of the first areas to
incorporate the computer. Because of its powerful capability to store and
retrieve vast amounts of information, computers are now a vital component of
almost every type of business. They are used to record sales, maintain
information about inventories, maintain payroll records, and generate
paychecks. Business workers now use computers to keep track of meetings, write
letters and memos, create charts and presentation graphics, create newsletters,
and examine trends.
All of us have by now experienced
how the point-of-sale ( POS) product scanning
systems in stores have speeded up the check-out process and made it more
accurate by eliminating the need for checkers to punch in the price for each
individual item. These point-of-sale systems not only make it more convenient
for shoppers, but they also provide an accurate inventory of product
availability for the store's management.
