CSE115 Chapter 1

CSE115
Computing Concepts

Monday, May 28, 2012

CSE115: Lecture 1

1

Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview:
Misconception about Computer Science what’s Computer Science algorithms the importance of algorithmic problem solving Pseudocode

Monday, May 28, 2012

CSE115: Lecture 1

2

Misconception about Computer
Science: What it is not

There is a lot of misconception about this area of study Unlike physics, chemistry or biology, most of us do not have an intuitive feeling for Computer Science
It is not the study of
Computers
how to write programs the uses and applications of computers and software These are not necessarily incorrect; rather incomplete definition of Computer Science
Monday, May 28, 2012

CSE115: Lecture 1

3

Computer Science: What it is not
The study of computers:
Some of the earliest and most fundamental theoretical work in computer science took place well before there was any computer (1920 –1940)
There are still branches of computer science that are quite distinct from a study of “real” machine.
For example in theoretical CS studies the logical and mathematical properties of problems and their solutions are based on formal models of computation and not with actual computers.
Computer is just a tool to computer scientists like microscope to biologists or telescope to astronomers. Monday, May 28, 2012

CSE115: Lecture 1

4

Computer Science: What it is not
The study of how to write programs:
Most of the people in our country believes it Programming is extremely important, but primarily it is a tool to Computer Scientists to implement and test the solutions they come up with
Examples:

Searching
Sorting

but we have to remember it is a means to an end not an end in itself
Monday, May 28, 2012

CSE115: Lecture 1

5

Computer Science: What it is not
Computer Science is the study of the uses and applications of computers and software
Learning several packages, like