Final answer:
Developers create software programs that enable digital devices to operate efficiently, thanks to the invention of the integrated circuit (IC). This innovation has fostered the widespread integration of computers into various aspects of daily life and has been fundamental to the field of computer science and engineering.
Step-by-step explanation:
All digital devices use software programs to function, and developers create these programs. The invention that made it possible for digital computers to efficiently process large amounts of information is the integrated circuit (IC). Integrated circuits contain vast collections of transistors on a single piece of silicon, designed to handle digital signals that represent ones and zeroes, or binary code. This innovation launched the modern computer revolution and has enabled computers to become integral to every aspect of our lives, including communication, entertainment, and the advancement of science and engineering.
Computer scientists and engineers are the ones who design computers and the software that controls various systems and devices around us. Their work is crucial for developing programs that address human-related challenges, such as helping those who are physically challenged or in controlling systems in automobiles and the delivery of Internet information.
In essence, just as the brain processes information from our senses and directs our actions, computers use software (defined as a series of electronic changes on a digital level, and instruction sets at a design level) to perform functions from word processing to solving complex equations, driven by programmers' codes and interacting with the physical components at an engineering level.