Computer science
hideComputer science (or computing science) is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that describe and transform information. According to Peter J. Denning, the fundamental question underlying computer science is, "What can be (efficiently) automated?" Computer science has many sub-fields; some, such as computer graphics, emphasize the computation of specific results, while others, such as computational complexity theory, study the properties of computational problems. Still others focus on the challenges in implementing computations. For example, programming language theory studies approaches to describing computations, while computer programming applies specific programming languages to solve specific computational problems, and human-computer interaction focuses on the challenges in making computers and computations useful, usable, and universally accessible to people.
The general public sometimes confuses computer science with vocational areas that deal with computers (such as information technology), or think that it relates to their own experience of computers, which typically involves activities such as gaming, web-browsing, and word-processing. However, the focus of computer science is more on understanding the properties of the programs used to implement software such as games and web-browsers, and using that understanding to create new programs or improve existing ones.
For more information about Computer science, read the full article at
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News tagged with computer science
Smartphone app illuminates power consumption
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new application for the Android smartphone shows users and software developers how much power their applications are consuming. PowerTutor was developed by doctoral students and professors ...
Stimulus grant will improve physics arXiv
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stimulus funding will enhance Cornell's e-print arXiv of scientific papers to help users identify a work's main concepts, see research reports in context and easily find related work.
Robots perform Shakespeare to learn how to save people
Nov 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Flying robot fairies are joining human actors in Texas A&M University?s production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which runs through Sunday (Nov. 15) in the Rudder Forum.
Inventing language
Nov 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Last Thursday, the day after the New York Yankees won their first World Series of the 21st century, MIT Institute Professor Barbara Liskov, the 2008 recipient of the Turing Award — frequently ...
What computer science can teach economics
Technology / Computer Sciences
Nov 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer scientists have spent decades developing techniques for answering a single question: How long does a given calculation take to perform? Constantinos Daskalakis, an assistant professor ...
Hooks hijacked? New research shows how to block stealthy malware attacks
Technology / Computer Sciences
Nov 03, 2009 |
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The spread of malicious software, also known as malware or computer viruses, is a growing problem that can lead to crashed computer systems, stolen personal information, and billions of dollars in lost productivity every ...
Flying MAV Navigates Without GPS (w/ Video)
Nov 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- During the last several years, researchers have been building micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can autonomously fly through different environments by relying on GPS for navigation. Recently, ...
Software That's Resilient Against Hacker Attack
Technology / Computer Sciences
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers headed by Martin Rinard, a professor of computer science at MIT, have developed new software that automatically patches errors in deployed software in a matter of minutes.
P vs. NP -- The most notorious problem in theoretical computer science remains open
Technology / Computer Sciences
Oct 29, 2009 |
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In the 1995 Halloween episode of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson finds a portal to the mysterious Third Dimension behind a bookcase, and desperate to escape his in-laws, he plunges through. He finds himself wander ...
Watching me, watching you
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Software that tracks shoppers' eye movements as they browse supermarket shelves may seem a bit Big Brother, but the latest technology in 'eye-tracking', which monitors what grabs a person's ...
Looking for privacy in the clouds
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Millions of Internet users have been enjoying the fun -- and free -- services provided by advertiser-supported online social networks like Facebook. But Landon Cox, a Duke University assistant professor of computer science, ...
Household robots do not protect users' security and privacy, researchers say
Oct 08, 2009 |
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People are increasingly using household robots for chores, communication, entertainment and companionship. But safety and privacy risks of information-gathering objects that move around our homes are not yet adequately addressed, ...
Are mobiles and social networking sites changing the way we behave?
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- How dependent have we become on mobile phones, and are social networking sites changing the nature of our relationships with other people? A three-year Oxford University study is to address ...
New digital security program doesn't protect as promised
Technology / Computer Sciences
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Texas at Austin scientists have shown that they can break "Vanish," a program that promised to self-destruct computer data, such as emails and photographs, and thereby protect a person's privacy.
Rome was built in a day, with hundreds of thousands of digital photos
Technology / Computer Sciences
Sep 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The ancient city of Rome was not built in a day. It took nearly a decade to build the Colosseum, and almost a century to construct St. Peter's Basilica. But now the city, including these landmarks, ...
