is the use of like is correct in this particular sentence

[sanj]

hey RON/STACEY
please comment

1. I know the difference between/in the usage of like and as

which one is correct : between or in. I think between should be correct

2. computers can be programmed to think like people." does it mean 'computers can think like people'.
you say 'joy sings like her mother' is correct. is it also correct to say ' joy can sing like her mother.'

or should it be "computers can be programmed to think as people can."? I think here it means that people can be programmed to think. it looks absurd. so it should be 'as people do'.

[SENTHIL]

comparision between nouns , use LIKE

comparisions between clauses use AS .

computers can be programmed to think like people (wrong )

computers can be programmed to think is compared to peoples thinking capacity.

so it shud be computers can be programmed to think as people do .

ABOUT 'joy can sing like her mother.'

'joy sings like her mother'


I am not sure about the later part of the explanation , experts please explain

[RonPurewal]

hey RON/STACEY
please comment

1. I know the difference between/in the usage of like and as

which one is correct : between or in. I think between should be correct

this is primarily a singular/plural issue; you can formulate most sentences with either of the two, depending on whether you pair it with a singular or with a plural.
examples:
i know the differences in usage between 'like' and 'as'
i know the differences between the usages of 'like' and 'as'
both of these are fine.

or should it be "computers can be programmed to think as people can."?

that's fine. you could change it to "...as people do", but, in so doing, you're changing the meaning a bit: you've changed the focus from the way people (theoretically) can think to the way they actually do think.
if you inserted a COMMA - "computers can be programmed to think, as people can" - THEN the sentence would imply that people can be programmed to think. but not otherwise.