What is the difference between a computer and a human being?

Answer 1

Computers have no emotions. Humans are able to reason and adapt to constantly changing rules. Computers are given a task that can be fulfilled and improved upon, though it will not be able to show "emotion" and or conscience to change the desired task. We are able to change our surrounding on a whim.

Answer 2

There are many differences between humans and computers, but they can be summed up into two major differences. 1) The human brain utilizes something called "parallel processing." This means that humans can think about and do multiple things at the same time. For instance, humans while typing my brain is simultaneously coordinating my fingers, keeping my heart breathing, and processing the visual stimuli of my keyboard and computer screen. This is all happening while I think about what I am writing. Some computers can engage in minimal parallel processing if they more than one processor, but it comes no where near the ability of humans. Instead, computers must rapidly switch between two applications in order to multitask. This means that each additional task will slow a computer far more than it will slow a human. When it comes to speed, however, computers are millions of times faster than humans. This is because humans must use the relatively slow process of send signals through neurotransmitters, whereas computers use lightning fast electricity. This is why computers can be better at single minded activities, such as Chess, while humans are better at activities that require a variety of actions, such as sports. 2) The second reason humans are different is that humans have the ability to learn on their own. Computers must be told what to learn, and how to learn it. In humans, learning results in a physical change. This means that humans, with our independent will, have the ability to alter themselves whereas computers are dependant on their surroundings. This is due to the plasticity of the brain, which means that the brain is able to adapt depending on how it is used. Learning a new language will result in more neural connections in the language area of the brain. Downloading a program won't do anything to hardware on a computer. As an added note, the human brain also has more space for permanent storage (in a way). When it comes to permanent storage, as opposed to temporary storage, the human brain's capacity is virtually infinite. Humans do not live long enough to permanently learn enough stuff to fill their brains. Computers have a much easier time storing information, and thus they quickly reach their maximum capacity. So here is the second trade off: human learning has a much larger effect, but computers can learn much faster and easier.