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The Basics of Computer Science

Computer science encompasses the theoretical and design of mathematics. It is the study of computers, both the hardware and software design and engineering. Though overlapping on some occasions with computer engineering, the field of computer science is entirely a separate study.

The major disciplines of computer science are:

  1. architecture - particularly all levels of hardware design, and combining hardware and software to form the actual computer system
  2. software - the programs that tell how a computer carries out tasks (subdivided into software engineering, programming languages, operating systems, information systems and databases, artificial intelligence and computer graphics
  3. theory - focuses on computational methods, numerical analysis, data structures and algorithms

Just to give you an idea of how young computer science is as a field, it started only in 1960, twenty years after the electronic digital computer was invented in 1940. The idea that all information can be represented in zeros and ones (the binary number system) stems from mathematics, and from these numbers, data storage and computer transmission occurs.

History

In the 1800s Pascal and Babbage attempted to come up with computing machines that could help with calculating arithmetic. But these were simply mechanical machines with no theory behind them.

Then George Boole came, at around the same time, with the Boolean Logic, a mathematical form of logic. It is used until now at the heart of all computer hardware.

Computer Science boomed, however, with John von Neumann and Alan Turing in the 1900s, with the former’s Von Neumann architecture and the latter’s Universal Turing Machine. Combined, computer design now separated the CPU from the RAM, among others, and computer science now had boundaries as to what can and cannot be computed.

Fields and concepts

  1. Algorithm Development
  2. Cryptography - involves higher-level mathematics, including number theory.
  3. Hardware - deals with creating circuits and chips
  4. Networking - deals with device interconnection
  5. Graphics - animation, data visualization
  6. Programming languages - finding out how to speed up the work process (optimization)
  7. Software engineering - design and implementation of software
  8. Systems - building operating systems, databases and distributed computing
  9. Artificial Intelligence - machine learning and robotics

    10. Things to focus on

    If you want to teach your students the basics of Computer Science, focus on the following:

    1. Programming languages - It is best to teach multiple programming languages like C or C to better understand memory allocation and system design, and moving on to the next. Mastering different programming languages allows them to do certain things faster.
    2. Design - It is always beneficial to learn good design principles early on. Students can do this by practicing on well-known systems projects like writing a web server.
    3. Basic Algorithms and Data Structures - The two are the lingua franca of computer science; they are fundamental and anyone studying computer science is expected to know it.
    4. Basic Theory - Representing numbers in different bases and manipulating expressions with Boolean logic are just some of the things the students should be aware of. They can be used when reading someone else’s code or clarifying one’s own code.

    Computer science is related to different fields such as computer engineering, information technology, linguistics, cognitive science, economics, physics and mathematics. It is a fruitful exercise to venture into computer science in lessons especially in today’s day and age, when computers are everywhere and getting more complex, and will not become extinct anytime soon.

    Sources:

    “An Introduction to Computer Science.” Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
    http://www.aihorizon.com/essays/basiccs/general/index.htm
    “Computer Science.” Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science
    “Computer science.” Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
    Encyclopædia Britannica Online:
    http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/130675/computer-science
    “Fields of Computer Science.”Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
    http://www.aihorizon.com/essays/basiccs/general/cs_areas.html
    “How to Study Computer Science.” Retrieved October 1, 2008 from
    http://www.aihorizon.com/essays/basiccs/general/starting_out.htm

    (Published 13 October 2008, Smart Communications, Inc.)