A Balanced Introduction to

Computer Science
David Reed, Creighton University
©2005 Pearson Prentice Hall
ISBN 0-13-046709-X

Chapter 10
Computer Science as a Discipline

1
Computer “Science”
some people argue that computer science is not a science in the same sense
that biology and chemistry are
 the interdisciplinary nature of computer science has made it hard to classify

computer science is the study of computation (more than just machinery)

 it involves all aspects of problem solving, including
 the design and analysis of algorithms

 the formalization of algorithms as programs

 the development of computational devices for executing programs

 the theoretical study of the power and limitations of computing

whether this constitutes a "science" is a matter of interpretation

 certainly, computer science represents a rigorous approach to understanding
complex phenomena and problem solving

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Scientific Method
the process developed by the scientific community for examining
observations and events is known as the scientific method

many activities carried out by computer scientists follow the scientific method
 e.g., designing and implementing a large database system requires hypothesizing
about its behavior under various conditioning, experimenting to test those
hypotheses, analyzing the results, and possibly redesigning
 e.g., debugging a complex program requires forming hypotheses about where an
error might be occurring, experimenting to test those hypotheses, analyzing the
results, and fixing the bugs
3
Artificial Science
the distinction between computer science and natural sciences like biology,
chemistry, and physics is the type of systems being studied
 natural sciences study naturally occurring phenomena and attempt to extract
underlying laws of nature
 computer science studies human-made constructs: programs, computers, and
computational modes

Herbert Simon coined the phrase "artificial science" to distinguish computer

science from the natural sciences

in Europe, computer science is commonly called "Informatics"

 emphasizes the role of information processing as opposed to machinery
the term "Algorithmics" has also been proposed
 emphasizes the role of algorithms and problem solving

other related fields study computation from different perspectives

 computer engineering focuses on the design and construction of computers
 information systems management focuses on business applications
4
Computer Science Themes
since computation encompasses many different types of activities, computer
science research is often difficult to classify
 three recurring themes define the discipline

5
Hardware
hardware refers to the physical components of a computer and its supporting
devices

most modern computers implement the von Neumann architecture

 CPU + memory + input/output devices

ongoing research seeks to improve hardware design and organization

 circuit designers create smaller, faster, more energy-efficient chips
 microchip manufacturers seek to miniaturize and streamline production
 systems architects research methods to increase throughput (the amount of work
done in a given time period)
 e.g., parallel processing – splitting the computation across multiple CPUs
 e.g., networking – connecting computers to share information and work

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Software
software refers to the programs that execute on computers

3 basic software categories

1. systems software: programs that directly control the execution of hardware
components (e.g., operating systems)
2. development software: programs that are used as tools in the development of
other programs (e.g. Microsoft.NET, Java SDK)
3. applications software: all other programs, which perform a wide variety of tasks
(e.g., web browsers, word processors, games)

many careers in computer science are related to the design, development,

testing, and maintenance of software
 language designers develop and extend programming languages for easier and
more efficient solutions
 programmers design and code algorithms for execution on a computer
 systems analysts analyze program designs and manage development

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Theory
theoretical computer scientists strive to understand the capabilities of
algorithms and computers (deeply rooted in math and formal logic)

example: the Turing machine is an abstract computational machine invented

by computer pioneer Alan Turing
 consists of: a potentially infinite tape on which characters can be written
a processing unit that can read and write on the tape,
move in either direction, and distinguish between a finite number of
states
 significance of the Turing machine
 it is programmable (example below is programmed to distinguish between an
even or odd number of a's on the tape)
 provably as powerful as any modern computer, but simpler so provides a
manageable tool for studying computation

Turing used this

simpler model to
prove there are
problems that
cannot be solved by
any computer!

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Subfields of
Computer
Science
computer science can be
divided into subfields
 each subfield takes a unique
approach to computation
 however the common themes
of computer science
(hardware, software, and
theory) influence every
subfield

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Algorithms and Data Structures
subfield that involves developing, analyzing, and implementing algorithms for
solving problems

application: encryption
 encryption is the process of encoding a message so that it is decipherable only
by its intended recipient
 Caesar cipher: shift each letter three down in the alphabet
e.g., ET TU BRUTE  HW WX EUXWH
 Caesar cipher is an example of private-key encryption
 relies on the sender and the recipient sharing a secret key
 some modern encryption algorithms rely on private keys
 e.g., Digital Encryption Standard (DES) utilizes 56-bit keys

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Public-Key Encryption
private-key encryption assumes that the sender and the recipient have agreed
upon some key ahead of time (which introduces other security risks)

Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman proposed public-key encryption

 assign each party a pair of associated keys, one is public and the other is private
 a message encoded with a public key requires the corresponding private key for
decoding, and vice versa
 almost all secure communications on the Internet use public key encryption

 allows for double encryption to also verify the identity of the sender
 you can encode messages with your own private key and the recipient’s
public key, and decode the message in reverse

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Architecture
subfield concerned with methods of organizing hardware components into
efficient, reliable systems

application: parallel processing

 multiple processors can sometimes be utilized to share the computational load
 there are costs associated with coordinating the processors and dividing the
work, so not well suited for all tasks
 understanding when parallel processing can be used effectively is a common
task for computer architects

 e.g., high-end Web Servers utilize multiple processors

 can service multiple requests simultaneously by distributing the load among
the processors

 Deep Blue, IBM's chess playing computer,

contained 32 general purpose processors
and 512 special-purpose chess processors
 the processors worked in parallel to

evaluate chess moves (could generate

and evaluate 200 million chess moves
per second)
 in 1997, Deep Blue became the first

computer to beat a world champion in

a chess tournament 12
Operating Systems and Networks
subfield concerned with mechanisms to control the hardware and software
components of computer systems

application: operating systems mediate between hardware and software

 time-sharing - allowed for multiple users to work on the same computer
 each user is allocated a portion of the processor, and the processor rotates
among tasks so rapidly that it appears to be executing tasks simultaneously
 multitasking – a single user can run multiple programs simultaneously
 each application is allocated a portion of the memory

application: networks allow computers to communicate and share resources

 wide area network (WAN) – connects
computers over long distances (e.g., Internet)
 local area network (LAN) – connects
computers over short distances (e.g., same
room or building)

 Ethernet is a common, simple

technology for building LANs
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Software Engineering
subfield concerned with creating effective software systems
 large projects can encompass millions of lines of code
 teams of programmers work together to make an integrated whole
 coordination and testing are key to successful projects

 software demand continues to grow, placing pressure on programmers to

produce at faster rates
 clearly, there is a limit to personal productivity
 simply adding more programmers does not solve the problem: increasing numbers
means increased complexity, and coordination becomes an even bigger challenge
 in recent years, the adoption of the object-oriented programming
methodology has made it easier to reuse code 14
Artificial Intelligence
subfield that attempts to make computers exhibit human-like characteristics
(e.g., the ability to reason and think)
 in 1950, Turing predicted intelligent computers by 2000 (still not even close)
 but, progress has been made in many A.I. realms
 robots in manufacturing

 expert systems – programs that encapsulate expert knowledge in a specific

domain (e.g., for medical diagnosis)
 neural computing – design of architectures that mimic the brain

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The Ethics of Computing
as technology becomes more prevalent in society, computing professionals
must ensure that hardware and software are used safely, fairly, and effectively

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