Say it like this

A machine that follows instructions very fast and never gets bored of doing the same thing again.

For the grown-up

A computer stores instructions and data, and executes those instructions in order, extremely quickly and without variation. Almost everything else about computing is built on top of that one unglamorous ability.

The easy mistake

Careful here. Speed and patience are not the same as cleverness. A computer will do the wrong thing a billion times without noticing, which is precisely why it matters who wrote the instructions.

Words next to this one

Algorithm A list of steps for getting something done, written out so carefully that a machine can follow it. Artificial Intelligence A computer that has looked at so many examples it can start guessing about things it has never seen before. Server A computer whose whole job is holding things and handing them over when somebody asks. Machine A thing built to do a job that would otherwise take a person a lot of effort.