Applied science

About: Applied science is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1178 publications have been published within this topic receiving 19920 citations. The topic is also known as: applied sciences.

Science and computer science

Abstract: 1 The nature of computer science During the few decades that computer science has been identiied as a separate discipline, the question of the intellectual nature of the subject has frequently been posed. In particular, the question was discussed recently in the 1993 Turing Award lecture of Juris Hartmanis, On computational complexity and the nature of computer science" 1. It is clear that there are components of computer science that could be viewed as subbelds of mathematics or engineering. Indeed, competent w ork in theoretical computer science meets rigorous mathematical standards, and competent w ork in applied computer science meets the standards of good-quality engineering work prototypes are built, proof-of-concept projects are conducted, and results are evaluated on the basis of their usefulness in practice. The open question is the extent to which the remaining parts of computer science can be viewed as science. To study this question is not necessarily to engage in sterile debate: it may b e , for example, that the eld is not yet a science, but that it could become one, and that certain policy changes could accelerate this process. Hartmanis argues 1, 2 that computer science is diierent enough from the other sciences to permit diierent standards in experimental work, and that computer-science demos" can be viewed as a replacement for the experimentation found in other elds. I do not agree. Computer science is, or has the potential to be, a science similar in character to physics and the other natural sciences. However, its traditions, in the areas of experimentation and formulation of theories, may delay its acceptance and inhibit its development as a science.

Computer science: a language of technology

Abstract: The field of computer science has been rapidly developing since its recognition as a stand-alone discipline. The dynamics of the field led to its inadequate public image and posed challenges regarding how to make computer science studies more appealing to students. Recently, computer science has been recognized as a language of natural sciences, and its synergy with these sciences became noteworthy. This paper illuminates another facet of computer science. We call for the acknowledgement of computer science as a scientific paradigm, which is a language of technology. The language describes structures, processes, relationships, and communications. We believe that this view expands the responsibility of computer science in the contemporary world and legitimates its status as a basic language that is essential for acquiring scientific and technological literacy.