Science and medicine account for a wide variety of computer applications. In this section, we’ll look specifically at how computers are used for weather forecasting, space exploration, environmental simulations, patient diagnosis, life-support systems, and the treatment of handicapped people.
Science :
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One of the earliest applications of computer power in a scientific field was weather forecasting. To predict the weather accurately, data on current weather conditions must be input to the computer, which then analyzes mounds of data on past conditions.
Because predicting weather is a round- the-clock chore that requires supercomputer sized computational and storage capacity, it is done at a national level at places such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.
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Of course, the computer now plays a big part in presenting TV viewers with interesting weather graphics.
Another ongoing application of computers in science is the exploration of space. So many computations need to be done to send people and spacecraft into the universe that space travel with any degree of safety would be impossible without computers.
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Computers are also used to enhance and study photographs taken in space.
Simulation involves building a mathematical model of a real-life object or situation and thoroughly testing it with “dummy data” before the object is built or the situation encountered.
Computer-aided design (CAD), for example, often involves simulation. A car, say, may be modeled on computer simulates real-life events such as accidents and stresses.
Similarly, many airplane pilots and sailors today are trained in special “cockpits” or “control rooms” that simulate other craft in the immediate vicinity, departures and arrivals at airports or harbors, and the like.
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Simulation is also useful to both government and business for predicting economic changes in society, the environmental impact of new policies, and consumer reaction to the effects of price changes.
Medicine :
It is indeed comforting to know that computers are hard at word ensuring that you remain healthy and live longer.
Computer-assisted diagnosis refers to a number of hardware or software technologies that assist physicians in diagnosing patients conditions.
One example is inputting data about a patient’s condition to a software program that compares the condition to previously diagnosed ones in a large patient database. The program then outputs relevant statistics to help the attending physicians diagnose the ailment.
Many of these programs are considered expert systems in that they employ artificial intelligence techniques that enable them to actually draw some conclusions for the physician.
Computer tomography, sometimes referred to as CAT or PET scanning, is another computer-assisted diagnosis technique. It employs X-ray hardware and computer technology to provide physicians with three-dimensional pictures of the organs in a person’s body.
Thus, the physicians have more information on which to base a diagnosis than they would from a traditional two-dimensional X-ray.
Computerized life-support systems provide nursing support, although they usually bear no human resemblance. These systems monitor bedridden patients, freeing their flesh-and-blood counterparts from the need for uninterrupted observation.
A system might continuously monitor signs such as heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure and sound a silent alarm if something goes wrong.
Today computers are being used in many ways to help the handicapped. Computer-aided instruction (CAI), for example, has been used successfully to help slow learners.
Portable computers have been used to artificially simulate the human voice, enabling cerebral palsy victims to “speak”.
Also, vision systems, which contain sensors to determine distances of objects and computer systems to determine objects identities or properties, are evolving to enable blind people to “see”.