Fundamentals of Computer Science

Computer Science as a Science

The formation of computer science as a science took place in the 20th century and was associated with the development of computing technology.

The term “computer science” originated in the 1960s in France. It was chosen to describe the field of knowledge that studies the use of electronic computers to automate data processing. Thus, the word “computer science” is derived from the words “information” and “automation.”

In English-speaking countries, especially in the United States, the term “computer science” is usually used instead of “informatics.”

Although the terms “computer science” and “informatics” can be considered synonymous, the latter emerged earlier, in the early 1940s. Computer science represented a combination of the capabilities of the electronic computers of the time, mathematical logic, and the theory of algorithms.

New directions in computer science subsequently emerged. This was due to improvements in computers, which allowed them to be used in a wider range of areas of human activity.

Although computer science emphasizes information processing, its emergence and development are inextricably linked to the existence of computer technology. Computer science emerged as a scientific discipline alongside other sciences in the 1970s and 1980s, when computers became more accessible to a wider audience.

Initially, the computer was a tool for automating labor-intensive calculations, a kind of smart calculator. However, it gradually evolved into a tool for working with almost any information, not just numerical information. Today, there are a huge number of programs and applications designed for working with text, graphics, spreadsheets, databases, and much more.

Individual scientific fields have begun to emerge from computer science. Because the material world is diverse and there are many spheres of human activity, the subject matter of computer science is also quite heterogeneous. Therefore, computer science can be considered a complex science, making it difficult to define definitively.

In the 80s, E.P. Ershov gave it the following definition:

Computer science is an emerging science that studies the laws and methods of accumulation, transmission and processing of information using computers, as well as the area of ​​human activity associated with the use of computers.

Thus, computer science is both a theoretical and a practical discipline.

Computer science is closely linked to mathematics, drawing on its achievements. This is because objects of the natural and technical sciences, as well as social phenomena, can be described using mathematical concepts—functions, systems of equations, inequalities, and others.

On the other hand, the subject of study of computer science – information – is, among other things, a general scientific and social concept.

Essentially, the goal of computer science is to study how scientific and technological advances can be used to process data of various kinds. In the 20th century, civilization reached a point in data accumulation where the problem of storing, using, accessing, transmitting, and transforming it arose. Computer science studies how to solve these problems using computing technology.

Processes related to the digitalization of information accumulated by civilization are currently underway. It can be expected that many real-world objects will soon acquire their digital counterparts.

• Computer science and information

  • History of computer science
  • Structure of computer science
  • Cybernetics and informatics
  • Information and its transmission
  • The role of informatization in the development of society

• Number systems

  • About number systems
  • Binary system
  • Octal system
  • Hexadecimal system
  • Binary arithmetic

• Information coding

  • Direct and additional codes
  • Real numbers
  • Character encoding
  • Sound information
  • Image coding
  • Raster and vector graphics

• Logical foundations of a computer

  • Algebra of logic and computers
  • Laws of Boolean algebra
  • Logic elements – gates
  • Adder and half adder
  • Trigger is a memory element
  • Bitwise operations

• Hardware

  • Generations of computers
  • Types of computers
  • Von Neumann architecture
  • How a computer works
  • CPU
  • RAM
  • Magnetic disks

• Theory of algorithms

  • The concept of an algorithm
  • Turing machine
  • Post’s car
  • Flowchart language
  • Algorithmic structures

• Software

  • Types of software
  • operating system
  • User interfaces
  • Word processors

• Computer networks

  • Local area network topologies
  • Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0

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