[thatsme22]

which machines we can programme other than the computers! eg a robot( which can move ).

[calvinthedestroyer]

But a robot is just an extension of a computer.

You can program farming. (crop rotation)
You can program Player pianos.
You can program egyptian booby traps.
You can program Dominoes.
You can program cooking.
DNA
TV's (analog)
etc, etc.

[modi123_1]

thatsme22, on 30 May 2010 - 07:25 AM, said:

what are the things we can programme other than the computers? i mean they just show output through monitor or through speaker. they dont show their output through a physical movement(it can be a pilot less spy plane). i hope you got the idea what i am talking about!



do all the programmable machines require electricity to run? why?

FYI a "pilot less spy plane" is programmed via a computer.

Calvin is right - robot is a programmed computer. Calvin's list is about accurate as well.

I would also add 'training' in there.. ie.. program a dog or a child.

[sbromley]

I think this question is really interesting. Obviously like calvin said most things like a robot and electronics in general are run by a computer which are programmed. But at what point are you programming something? Modi mentions training a dog or child. Is the definition using logic and boolean algebra to come to a specific outcome? or do we consider programming the manipulation of anything using mathematics in general. The latter definition seems to broad.

So maybe the question here isn't what can we program, but what is loose definition? Once we have that it should be easy to determine what we can and can't program.

[MentalFloss]

What is programming? Programming is establishing a set of instructions to be executed to achieve a certain outcome. Abstractly, you can program yourself (behavior and responses to environment), your children, your pets, anything. Abstractly, everything is programmable as long as you can establish the instruction set.

A better word for this might be training though. You train yourself to not eat as much, to work out more, to read more often. You train your children to do the right things, to do well in school, to do their chores. You train your pets to not shit on the carpet, to not bark at neighbors, to behave around company.

Quote

which machines we can programme other than the computers! eg a robot( which can move ).

This question is hard to answer accurately without going into a very lengthy history lesson about the telegraph relay and how it relates to binary. Some other time... maybe.

The short version is: any machine that is able to add and has the ability to conditionally jump is programmable.

If you want something to program that isn't a computer, you can look into integrated circuits. It's an electrical component that allows you to program it.