Computer Science

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What Does Computer Science Mean?

Computer science is the study of both computer hardware and software design. It encompasses both the study of theoretical algorithms and the practical problems involved in implementing them through computer hardware and software. The study of computer science has many branches, including artificial intelligence, software engineering, programming and computer graphics. The need for computer science as a discipline has grown as computers become more integrated into our day-to-day lives and technology continues to advance.

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Techopedia Explains Computer Science

The beginnings of computer science as a study go back to the 1940s, when the first digital electronic computers were developed for use in in World War II. The field has since seen many major achievements including the digital revolution and establishment of the Internet, as well as the use of computers in science and math.

The term computer science is often confused with information technology (IT), but these are very different fields. IT deals with the study of data and data processing, and may also apply to the management of computer systems, particularly in a business setting. Computer science, on the other hand, deals with the more theoretical, or academic, side of computing.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.