This book is designed for the introductory course about computers, their applications, and their societal impact. Like the course, it is intended for liberal arts, social science, business, and other students in the general college audience. There are no technical or mathematical prerequisites. To meet the needs and interests of the nonspecialist student, I've tried to give: (1) Clear nontechnical explanations of why the inanimate computer can do useful things that would otherwise require human intelligence; (2) A Clear understanding that the computer is always under human control; (3) An introduction to some applications that are likely to be useful to any educated person, such as word processing, spreadsheets, database programs, and graphics; (4) An understanding of leading-edge applications artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, relational database, local area networks, CAD/CAM, state-of-the art graphics, simulations all influencing our lives right now, and likely to increase their influence greatly in the near future; (5) A realistic, unbiased presentation of the key social issues of the computer age emphasizing that human beings in a democracy will make the ultimate decisions about how computers will be put to use.