Computer science
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems[1]. Many diverse fields exist within the broader discipline of computer science; some emphasize the computation of specific results (such as graphics), while others (such as computational complexity theory) relate to properties of algorithms used in performing computations. Still others focus on the problems involved in implementing computations. For example, programming language theory studies approaches to describing a computation, while computer programming applies specific programming languages to craft a solution to some concrete computational problem.
Because computer science is a rapidly evolving field, it is difficult to define precisely. Research into the area often crosses into other disciplines, including, among many others, computer engineering, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, physics (see quantum computing), linguistics, and software engineering. There are some alternative definitions of computer science and its strict definition is often hotly debated. Much of the reason for this debate lies in the diversity of educational programs available in computer science, and in the variety of careers pursued by computer science graduates.
History
- Main article: history of computer science
The history of computer science predates the invention of the modern digital computer. Prior to the 1920s, the term computer referred to a human clerk that performed calculations. Early researchers in what came to be called computer science, such as Kurt Gödel, Alonzo Church, and Alan Turing, were interested in the question of computability: what things can be computed by a human clerk who simply follows a list of instructions with paper and pencil, for as long as necessary, and without ingenuity or insight. Part of the motivation for this work was the desire to develop computing machines that could automate the often tedious and error-prone work of a human computer.
During the 1940s, as newer and more powerful computing machines were developed, the term computer came to refer to the machines rather than their human predecessors. As it became clear that computers could be used for more than just mathematical calculations the field of computer science broadened to study computation in general.
Computer science education
Some universities teach computer science as a theoretical study of computation and algorithmic reasoning. These programs often feature the theory of computation, analysis of algorithms, formal methods, concurrency theory, databases, computer graphics and systems analysis, among others. They typically also teach computer programming, but treat it as a vessel for the support of other fields of computer science rather than a central focus of high-level study.
Other colleges and universities, as well as secondary schools and vocational programs that teach computer science, emphasize the practice of advanced computer programming rather than the theory of algorithms and computation in their computer science curricula. Such curricula tend to focus on those skills that are important to workers entering the software industry. The practical aspects of computer programming are often referred to as software engineering. However, there is a lot of disagreement over what the term "software engineering" actually means, and whether it is the same thing as programming.
Relationship with other fields
Despite its name, computer science rarely involves the study of computers themselves. The renowned computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra is often quoted as saying, "Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes." The study of computer hardware is usually called computer engineering, and the study of commercial computer systems and their deployment is often called information technology or information systems.
The relationship between computer science and software engineering is a contentious issue, which is further muddied by disputes over what the term "software engineering" means, and what the definition of computer science is. Some people believe that software engineering is a subset of computer science. Others, taking a cue from the relationship between other engineering and science disciplines, believe that the principle focus of computer science is studying the properties of computation in general, while the principle focus of software engineering is the design of specific computations to achieve practical goals, making them different disciplines. This view is promulgated by (among others) David Parnas (Parnas 1998). Still others maintain that software cannot be engineered at all.
Fields of computer science
Mathematical foundations
- Cryptography
- algorithms for protecting private data, including encryption
- Graph theory
- Mathematical logic
- Type Theory
- formal analysis of the types of data, and the use of these types to understand properties of programs, especially program safety
Theory of computation
- Automata theory
- Computability theory
- Computational complexity theory
- fundamental bounds (esp. time and storage space) on computations
Design and analysis of algorithms and data structures
- Algorithms
- formal processes used for computation, and the efficiency of these processes
- Data structures
- the organization and storage of data
Programming languages and compilers
- Compilers
- ways of efficiently translating algorithms from one form (usually a programming language) to another
- Programming languages
- formal languages for expressing algorithms and the properties of these languages
Software development
- Computer programming
- the act of writing algorithms in a programming language
- Formal methods
- mathematical approaches for describing and reasoning about software designs
- Software engineering
- the principles and practice of designing, developing, and testing programs
Databases
- Data mining
- study of algorithms for searching and processing information in documents and databases; closely related to information retrieval
Concurrency and distributed systems
- Concurrency
- theory and practice of simultaneous and interacting computation
- Networking
- algorithms and protocols for reliably communicating data across long distances, often including error correction
- Operating systems
- systems for managing computer programs and data structures
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the implementation and study of systems that exhibit (either behaviourally or seemingly) an autonomous intelligence or behaviour of their own, sometimes inspired by the characteristics of living beings. Computer science is closely tied with AI, as software and computers are primary tools for the development and progression of artificial intelligence.
- Robotics
- algorithms for controlling the behavior of robots
Computer graphics
- Computer graphics
- algorithms both for generating visual images synthetically and for integrating or altering visual and spatial information sampled from the real world
- Computer vision
- algorithms for extracting three dimensional objects from a two dimensional picture
Scientific computing
Careers
Graduates in Computer Science may pursue careers in (among others):
| Computer programming | writing the software that runs on a computer |
| Software engineering | designing, managing, and writing large software systems |
| Systems analysis | solving computer problems and applying computer technology to meet the individual needs of an organization |
| Computer science | performing research, often in a specialized field of computer science |
| Database administration | designing and managing computer database systems and managing the security of those systems, a job often also done by specialists in information technology |
| Web development | design, development, and maintenance of World Wide Web sites, though web development is also frequently the domain of graphic designers and information technology specialists. |
See also
- Computing
- List of basic computer science topics
- List of computer science conferences
- List of open problems in computer science
- List of publications in computer science
- List of prominent pioneers in computer science
Notes
-
- "Computer science is the study of information" Department of Computer and Information Science, Guttenberg Information Technologies
- "Computer science is the study of computation." Computer Science Department, College of Saint Benedict, Saint John's University
- "Computer Science is the study of all aspects of computer systems, from the theoretical foundations to the very practical aspects of managing large software projects." Massey University
References
- Association for Computing Machinery. 1998 ACM Computing Clasification System. 1998.
- IEEE Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery. Computing Curricula 2001: Computer Science. December 15, 2001.
- _ D.L. Parnas (1998), "Software Engineering Programmes are not Computer Science Programmes", Annals of Software Engineering, vol. 6, 1998, pgs. 19-37
External links
