Data, energy, or materials that enter a system or process to produce an output. In computing, information entered into a computer or program.
From English 'input' (1940s) combining 'in' + 'put', originally used in economics and later adopted by computing. The plural form 'inputs' became common in systems theory and computer science.
The word 'inputs' perfectly captures how we think about systems - whether it's a computer program, a recipe, or even a conversation, everything needs something going in to produce something coming out. It's remarkable how this relatively recent word has become essential for describing everything from agriculture to artificial intelligence.
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