computer science

Marin Computer Center

Marin Computer Center is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marin Computer Center rather than just read about it. In short: Opened in 1977 in Marin County, California, the Marin Computer Center was the world's first public access microcomputer center. The non-profit company was co-created by David Fox (later to become one of Lucasfilm Games' founding members) and author Annie Fox.

Key takeaways

Marin Computer Center belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marin Computer Center to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marin Computer Center from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Opened in 1977 in Marin County, California, the Marin Computer Center was the world's first public access microcomputer center. The non-profit company was co-created by David Fox (later to become one of Lucasfilm Games' founding members) and author Annie Fox. MCC (as it was known) initially featured the Atari 2600, an Equinox 100, 9 Processor Technology Sol 20 computers (S-100 bus systems), the Radio Shack Model I and the Commodore PET. In addition to providing computer access to the public it had classes on the programming language BASIC. Later, it added Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers, for a total of about 40 systems. The Foxes left MCC in 1981, turning it over to new management, and later to the teens and young adults who helped run it.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marin Computer Center

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marin Computer Center claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marin Computer Center before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marin Computer Center ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marin Computer Center

In research: Marin Computer Center appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marin Computer Center in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marin Computer Center is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Marin County, California, Computer company stubs, History of computing, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marin Computer Center outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Marin Computer Center in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marin Computer Center means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marin Computer Center out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marin Computer Center in simple terms?

Why does Marin Computer Center matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marin Computer Center?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marin Computer Center.