Computer is playing very important role in every field of life. Computers are everywhere such as at home, at school. In daily life a large number of activities are dependent on computers. The main fields where computer is playing very important role are:

1. Education

Education is the process of developing knowledge through instructions. The instructions are received from people such as parents, teachers etc. and from printed material such as books, journals etc. Today, the modern technique to get knowledge is by using computers.

All schools use computers in classrooms and labs to teach students. Many educators prefer to deliver their lectures by computer-based presentations. In schools, colleges and universities, students use software packages to complete their assignments.

The computer-based training (CBT) or presentation is also called computer aided instruction (CAI). In this method, computer is used as an aid to teach the students in the classroom. The instructions of particular subject are received from the instructions that uses a program presented by a computer as learning medium. The web-based training (WBT) is another type of CBT that uses internet technology. It means that many websites provides online education. A lot of material of different topics is available on these websites. They also provide online lectures and tutorials for the students. The CBT and WBT are used in business education centers to educate people. People can get knowledge at very low cost as well as in very short period of time. Most of the WBT is free of cost.

Eductainment is another type of CBT. It is a type of educational software that combines the education with entertainment. These software are available on CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs and teach children in a fun and in exciting way. Similarly typein is learnt through these types of software.

2. Entertainment

Computer has also played a very important role for the entertainment of humans. Computer has become need of humans for entertainment at their home. Form example, to play video games at home, different game software are available to play games. Similarly, software are available to see movie films and to listen music. Today the movie files and famous songs are mostly available on CDs or on the web at very low cost. You can listen music while you work on the computer.

On the web, you can view fine art images in online museums and galleries. Some artists sell their works online and others display them for your viewing pleasure.

3. E-Commerce

E-commerce (electronic commerce) of e-trade or e-business is a financial business transaction conducted electronically between business partners over computer network (such as on Internet). With e-commerce, transactions can occur instantaneously and globally. This saves time for participants on both ends. The users can buy, sell and exchange of products or services via computer network. Today, many mobile computers can also access the internet on wireless.

There are many applications of e-commerce such as home banking, buying stocks, collaborating electronically with business partners around the globe, marketing and advertising products, providing services to the customers etc.

There are several types of e-commerce like collaborative commerce business-to-commerce, consumer-to-consumer, mobile commerce etc.

The following services are mostly used in e-commerce or e-business.

(i) E-Mail
It is the most popular service through which we can electronically send and receive messages anywhere in the world. The spoken messages are sent and received through voice mail.

(ii) Video Conferencing
A video conference is a meeting between two or more people residing at various places. They can watch and talk with each other. They use a network (i.e. Internet). To participate in a video conference, you need a video camera, a microphone, speaker and software (sepcial video conferencing software). Video conferencing also need a computer with a large memory and fast processor.

Video conferencing provides a complete simulation of a normal meeting environment, enabling both parties to see, hear and present material, just as if they are in the same room.

(iii) Electronic Shopping (E-Shopping)
Many businesses now have websites that allow internet users to buy goods or services. Shopping can take place using a computer at home, or at a cybercafe. The e-shop can be anywhere in the world and it remains open 24 hours a day. You can purchase any goods such as books, software, movies, computers, cars, airline tickets etc. on the web.

(iv) Electronic Banking
One of the most popular uses of e-commerce is electronic banking. An electronic banking is also known as cyber-banking. It includes various banking activities conducted from home, a business, or on the road instead of a physical bank location. In all over  the world, about 95 percent banks are online.

4. Health Care

Nearly every area of the medical field uses computers, such as laboratories, researches, scanning, monitoring, pharmacy etc., which are helping the doctors to diagnose diseases and many other purposes.

The main uses of computer in medical field are described below:

(i) Maintaining Patient History and Other Records
The complete bio-data as well as medical history of patient is recorded into the computer before check up of patient. The complete medical history (current and previous) is delivered to the related doctor for the check up of patient. In this way, much of the doctor's time is saved.

In addition to patient history, other information about doctors, medicines, chemicals and equipments is also maintained. It is very easy and efficient way to organize records than paper-based records. Any information about patients, doctors, equipments etc. can be retrieved veryb easity and quickly. In hospitals, mostly all the medical wards are interconnected through network. For example, if a patient is allocated a specific ward but being examined by a consultant and receiving treatment in other areas (wards) of the hospital, his detail can be viewed and updated at any terminal on the hospital's LAN network.

(ii) Patient Monitoring
The electronic scanning units (medical equipments) used in hospital can also be attached to computers. These are very expensive and are used to monitor the patient continuously. Thus computers are normally used in the following medical units of hospitals.

• ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
• Operation Theater
• Recovery Room
• Medical Ward
• EGG (Electrocardiograph)

The medical equipment with sensors attached to the patient that detects changes of heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing and brain activity. If any unbalancing situation occurs, computer activates the alarming device, which creates sound and alerts the medical staff. The data is also logged and used to analyze the change in a patient's condition over a period of time.

(iii) Diagnosis of Diseases
Computer is also used in hospital for diagnosis. For example, laboratory tests on blood and tissue chemistry have become dependent on computer analysis.

One common use of computer is hospital is to scan the body of patient. A special scanner is used for this purpose. A scanner sends electromagnetic rays through a patient body and sensors detect that how much patient's body have affected to any type of cancer (or disease). For example, the CAT (Computerized Axial Topography) scanner passes rays over the patient. A CAT scanner takes many X-rays around the body. It displays an image that enables physicians to look beneath the patient's skin. As the scanner passes over the patient, it displays and image of bone and tissue structure of patient on a computer screen.

(iv) Telemedicine
Another improvement in the medical field is the telemedicne. In telemedicine, you can access medical care centers using computers videoconferencing.

(v) Computer-Aided Surgery (CAS)
Many surgeons also use computer aided surgery while they are in training. It is used to learn surgical techniques. The physicians and dentists also use the computer aided learning (CAL) program.

Many websites also provide up-to-date medical, fitness, etc. information. These websites also maintain databases about various problems and their solutions. There are also medical chat rooms on the internet.

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