This first chapter explains what computer science is all about. It will help you understand that the goal of a computer scientist is to solve problems using computers. You will see how problems are formulated by means of algorithms and how the process of abstraction can be used to break problems down to easily manageable pieces. Finally, we will discuss the notion of efficiency.
The area of software design is huge. In this course, we will investigate the basics of creating some simple application software. If you continue your degree in computer science, you will take additional courses that touch upon the other areas of system software and middleware. Software is usually written to fulfill some need that the general public, private industry or government needs. Ideally, software is meant to make it easier for the user (i.e., the person using the software) to accomplish some task, solve some problem or entertain him/herself. Regardless of the user’s motivation for using the software, many problems will arise when trying to develop the software in a way that produces correct results, is efficient ad robust, easy to use and visually appealing. That is where computer science comes in:
So, computer science is all about taking in information and then performing some computations & analysis to solve a particular problem or produce a desired result, which depends on the application at hand. Computer science is similar to mathematics in that both are used as a means of defining and solving some problem. In fact, computer-based applications often use mathematical models as a basis for the manner in which they solve the problem at hand. In mathematics, a solution is often expressed in terms of formulas and equations. In computer science, the solution is expressed in terms of a program: A program is a sequence of instructions that can be executed by a computer to solve some problem or perform a specified task. However, computers do not understand arbitrary instructions written in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, etc.. Instead, computers have their own languages that they understand. Each of these languages is known as a programming language. A programming language is an artificial language designed to automate the task of organizing and manipulating information, and to express problem solutions precisely. A programming language “boils down to” a set of words, rules and
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