computer graphics

Introduction & Top Questions
Image display
3-D rendering
Shading and texturing
Machine learning
Processors and programs

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

At a Glance

computer graphics summary

Quizzes

computer chip. computer. Hand holding computer chip. Central processing unit (CPU). history and society, science and technology, microchip, microprocessor motherboard computer Circuit Board

Computers and Technology Quiz

Technician operates the system console on the new UNIVAC 1100/83 computer at the Fleet Analysis Center, Corona Annex, Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach, CA. June 1, 1981. Univac magnetic tape drivers or readers in background. Universal Automatic Computer

Computers and Operating Systems

Related Questions

How are computer graphics used in video games and computer simulations?
How are integrated graphics different from a discrete video card?
How did Pixel-Planes technology speed up computer graphics in 1980?
How did graphical user interfaces change the way people interact with computers?
How do OpenGL and other graphics software libraries help programmers create images?
How do artists use computer graphics to create animations and special effects?
How do computer graphics create images for screens and other media?
How do computer graphics help scientists model ocean currents and electric fields?
How do computer graphics make virtual reality environments possible?
How do computer graphics smooth polygon edges so that objects look less blocky?
How do pixels and bitmaps work in raster graphics?
How do raster graphics represent an image on a computer screen?
How do scientific visualization techniques such as surface rendering, volume rendering, and animation display scientific data?
How does Gouraud shading create smoother-looking computer graphics?
How does NVIDIA's DLSS improve image quality while lowering rendering costs?
How does a graphics processing unit reduce work for a computer's central processing unit?
How does a video card send graphical information from a computer to a monitor?
How does bit depth affect the number of colors in a computer image?
How does computer-aided design help engineers design automobile parts, bridges, and computer chips?
How does hidden-surface elimination make three-dimensional computer images look realistic?
How does lighting change the appearance of objects in computer graphics?
How does machine learning help modern graphics systems produce high-resolution images?
How does medical imaging use computer graphics to help doctors diagnose medical conditions?
How does parallel processing speed up computer graphics rendering?
How does pipelined parallelism allow different graphics-processing stages to run at the same time?
How does radiosity simulate light reflected from nearby objects?
How does ray tracing model reflections and refraction in a computer image?
How does scientific visualization turn complex data into useful pictures?
How does video memory help a graphics processing unit render images faster?
How many colors can an image with 24-bit true color display?
What components are typically found on a discrete video card?
Why are GPUs well suited to performing many calculations at the same time?
Why are bitmaps useful for displaying images but less useful for three-dimensional calculations?
Why are radiosity techniques computationally expensive?
Why are three-dimensional objects often built from lines, triangles, and polygons in computer graphics?
Why can a computer-animated movie take days to render even with powerful computers?
Why did video games drive advances in graphics hardware during the 1990s?
Why do DLSS systems use information from earlier frames and motion vectors?
Why do high-resolution bitmap images need large amounts of computer memory?
Why do realistic computer images require efficient algorithms and powerful hardware?
Why do vector graphics use less memory than raster graphics?
Why does a graphics card need cooling systems such as heat sinks and fans?
How do vector and raster graphics differ?
What is ray tracing in computer graphics?
How does NVIDIA’s DLSS use machine learning to enhance graphics rendering?

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External Websites

Caltech Library - Computer Graphics (PDF)
ABC listen - By Design - The panel: computer generated graphics
Mathematics LibreTexts - An Application to Computer Graphics
IOPscience - Journal of Physics: Conference Series - Application of Computer Graphics Processing Technology in Graphic Analysis

computer graphics

computer science

Written by

David Hemmendinger

Professor Emeritus, Department of Computer Science, Union College, Schenectady, New York. Coeditor of Encyclopedia of Computer Science, 4th ed. (2000).

David Hemmendinger

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 26, 2026 •History

computer graphics, production of images on computers for use in any medium. Images used in the graphic design of printed material are frequently produced on computers, as are the still and moving images seen in comic strips and animations. The realistic images viewed and manipulated in electronic games and computer simulations could not be created or supported without the enhanced capabilities of modern computer graphics. Computer graphics also are essential to scientific visualization, a discipline...

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