Computer science

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Computer 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 Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

News tagged with computer science

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Locksmiths, Computer Scientists Say

Technology / Computer Sciences

Oct 29, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (37) | 6

(PhysOrg.com) -- UC San Diego computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key.

Return-oriented Programming Shows Limits of Software Defenses

Good code, bad computations: A computer security gray area

Technology / Computer Sciences

Oct 27, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (25) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- If you want to make sure your computer or server is not tricked into undertaking malicious or undesirable behavior, it's not enough to keep bad code out of the system.

P vs. NP -- The most notorious problem in theoretical computer science remains open

Technology / Computer Sciences

Oct 29, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (22) | 5

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 ...

Researcher finds optimal fix-free codes

Technology / Computer Sciences

Apr 03, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (21) | 5

(PhysOrg.com) -- More than 50 years after David Huffman developed Huffman coding, an entropy encoding algorithm used for lossless data compression in computer science and information theory, an electrical ...

Computer scientist turns his face into a remote control

Technology / Engineering

Jun 25, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (18) | 2

New work at nexus of facial expression recognition research and automated tutoring A computer science Ph.D. student can turn his face into a remote control that speeds and slows video playback. The proof- ...

The 160-mile download diet: Local file-sharing drastically cuts network load

Technology / Computer Sciences

Aug 19, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (18) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ever since Bram Cohen invented BitTorrent, Web traffic has never been the same. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, however, is a matter of debate.

'Virtual archaeologist' reconnects fragments of an ancient civilization

Technology / Computer Sciences

Aug 15, 2008 | 4.4 / 5 (19) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- For several decades, archaeologists in Greece have been painstakingly attempting to reconstruct wall paintings that hold valuable clues to the ancient culture of Thera, an island civilization ...

Images for 3D Video Games Without High Price Tags or Stretch Marks

Technology / Computer Sciences

Aug 12, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (18) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- The images of rocks, clouds, marble and other textures that serve as background images and details for 3D video games are often hand painted and thus costly to generate. A breakthrough from ...

Of girls and geeks: Environment may be why women don't like computer science

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

Dec 14, 2009 | 3.6 / 5 (20) | 26

(PhysOrg.com) -- In real estate, it's location, location, location. And when it comes to why girls and women shy away from careers in computer science, a key reason is environment, environment, environment.

Hooks hijacked? New research shows how to block stealthy malware attacks

Technology / Computer Sciences

Nov 03, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (13) | 3

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)

Technology / Engineering

Nov 02, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (13) | 2

(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, ...

When You Look at a Face, You Look Nose First

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Oct 28, 2008 | 4.2 / 5 (13) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- While general wisdom says that you look at the eyes first in order to recognize a face, UC San Diego computer scientists now report that you look at the nose first.

Glasgow's joking computer

Technology / Computer Sciences

Dec 11, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (11) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Glasgow Science Centre in Scotland is exhibiting a computer that makes up jokes using its database of simple language rules and a large vocabulary.

Rome was built in a day, with hundreds of thousands of digital photos

Technology / Computer Sciences

Sep 15, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (12) | 4

(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, ...