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Written Assignment Unit 7

Computer Science can be divided into Applied and Theoretical fields. Applied Computer Science deals with practical problems solved using technology while Theoretical focuses on fundamental principles. Hardware refers to physical computer parts, Algorithms are sets of instructions to solve problems, and Software is programs that enable computers to perform tasks.

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26 views

Written Assignment Unit 7

Computer Science can be divided into Applied and Theoretical fields. Applied Computer Science deals with practical problems solved using technology while Theoretical focuses on fundamental principles. Hardware refers to physical computer parts, Algorithms are sets of instructions to solve problems, and Software is programs that enable computers to perform tasks.

Uploaded by

sarixe1124
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Science and its Disciplines

(Written Assignment Unit 7)

Computer Science is divided into Applied Computer Science and Theoretical Computer
Science, by understanding both fields we can get a good idea of what Computer Science is all
about. Applied Computer Science is nothing more than the practical use of it, in other words the use
of Computer Science to solve practical problems in all sorts of different fields like Healthcare,
Engineering and Manufacturing, Government and Public Services, and others. Worth mentioning,
also Education, Applied Computer Science can also be used to develop e-learning platforms,
adaptive learning systems, educational games and student assessment tools. Theoretical computer
scientists occupy themselves with fundamental principles, without necessarily being concerned with
practical applications. Fundamental principles of computer science are, for example, Algorithms,
Computability Theory, and a couple more. It can be written that computer science is divided into
Applied (practical) and Theoretical, both fields of great importance in our modern world.

I would describe Hardware as the tangible electronic parts of a computer or electronic


device. I am not getting into the details of how a processor process the information or a memory
stores the information, not even how many processors and different memories are out there at our
disposal. Important for now is, in this small essay, to understand what it refers to and what it is. So,
Hardware as the parts we may see and touch includes not only microprocessors and circuits but also
Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse and so on.

Algorithm is an ordered set of instructions given (written) for a purpose, solve a problem,
perform a task. Algorithms are the foundation of computer programs and software. Algorithms are
important in all branches of Computer Science, some would argue that, by studying Computer
Science we should start with Algorithms because the best Hardware is useless without it. Yet is fair
to say that it is easier, for some, by learning, at first to see what we have before studying what it can
do and how it does. Even though the Hardware limits what a computer does or how fast a problem
is solved, by solving any problem in Computer Science it all starts with an ordered set of
instructions, the Algorithm.

Software refers to a program (instruction, data) that enables a computer or electronic device
to perform a specific task. Examples of software are, Operating Systems and Applications. A
Software or a Program can be written in many different programming languages for many different
purposes, example of programming languages are: C, C++, C#, Python, Java and so on. There have
been a huge number of programming languages develop along the years and some are considered to
be better than the others depending on which purpose it is used for. All different Programs
(Software) we use in our daily life, like me writing this essay or you reading it, could have been
written in different languages, in different ways for different purposes.

Computer Science can be, at first, divided into Applied Computer Science and Theoretical
Computer Science. To Applied Computer Science belongs for example the development of new
hardware and software for a variety of different purposes. To Theoretical Computer Science belongs
for example the development of Algorithms. I hope we are now better informed about some of the
things computer scientists work with and we use and enjoy in our everyday life.

References:

Schneider, G. M., and Gersting, J. L. (2019). Invitation to Computer Science 8th Edition. Cengage.

O’Regan, G. (2018). World of Computing a Primer Companion for the Digital Age. Springer.

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