Computer science is a set of disciplines that deal with the foundations that underpin computing: programming languages and the mathematical and logical foundations of this branch of knowledge. As a general area, computer science has a whole series of specific branches: artificial intelligence, graphic computing, bioinformatics or the field of ubiquitous computing, among many other spheres.
The phenomenon of cryptography and technology applied in war
The origin of this branch is very old and connects with the need to decrypt some hidden messages through encrypted code systems, something that cryptography deals with. This need has been linked to war and military espionage activities, a circumstance that radically changed after World War II with the new computing tools. Starting in the 1950s, the first university departments of computer science appeared, in which elements of science, engineering and mathematics were combined.
Some elements of computer science
Experimental algorithms are basic tools in programming. On the other hand, these must interact with software engineering and numerical analysis. It must be taken into account that computing starts from the general paradigm of scientific activity: the creation of hypotheses as explanatory models that are capable of predicting events. In the world of computing, this paradigm is projected in relation to information processing.
Practical applications
Computer science is a branch of basic discipline that is applicable to other areas of science. Computer models can be adapted to the field of physics through simulations (for example in the field of particle physics in quantum physics). Biologists also use explanatory models to simulate the structure of DNA and investigate possible gene therapies.
The examples of physics or biology are a small sample of the infinity of specific areas where it is feasible to apply computing as a science, since it is present in the film industry, in the stock market or in humanistic disciplines.
A computer scientist must start from the definition of a problem and then design, describe and test a program to meet a specific need. And all this taking into account that said program will be used by a client and some users who have to act efficiently.
In conclusion, computer science is an area of science that tries to provide solutions in other spheres.
