Chapter 0:

Introduction

Computer Science: An Overview

Tenth Edition

by
J. Glenn Brookshear

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley

 Chapter 0: Introduction

• 0.1 The Role of Algorithms

• 0.2 The Origins of Computing Machines
• 0.3 The Science of Algorithms
• 0.4 Abstraction
• 0.5 An Outline of Our Study
• 0.6 Social Repercussions

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 Terminology

• Algorithm: A set of steps that defines how

a task is performed
• Program: A representation of an algorithm
• Programming: The process of developing
a program
• Software: Programs and algorithms
• Hardware: Equipment

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 Figure 0.1 An algorithm for a magic
trick

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 History of Algorithms

• The study of algorithms was originally a

subject in mathematics.
• Early examples of algorithms
– Long division algorithm
– Euclidean Algorithm
• Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem: Some
problems cannot be solved by algorithms.

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 Figure 0.2 The Euclidean algorithm

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 Origins of Computing Machines

• Early computing devices

– Abacus: positions of beads represent numbers
– Gear-based machines (1600s-1800s)
• Positions of gears represent numbers
• Blaise Pascal, Wilhelm Leibniz, Charles Babbage

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 Figure 0.3 An Abacus

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 Early Data Storage

• Punched cards
– First used in Jacquard Loom (1801) to store
patterns for weaving cloth
– Storage of programs in Babbage’s Analytical
Engine
– Popular through the 1970’s
• Gear positions

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 Early Computers

• Based on mechanical relays

– 1940: Stibitz at Bell Laboratories
– 1944: Mark I: Howard Aiken and IBM at Harvard
• Based on vacuum tubes
– 1937-1941: Atanasoff-Berry at Iowa State
– 1940s: Colossus: secret German code-breaker
– 1940s: ENIAC: Mauchly & Eckert at U. of Penn.

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 Figure 0.4 The Mark I computer

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 Personal Computers

– First used by hobbyists

– IBM introduced the PC in 1981.
• Accepted by business
• Became the standard hardware design for most
desktop computers
• Most PCs use software from Microsoft

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 Computer Science

• The science of algorithms

• Draws from other subjects, including
– Mathematics
– Engineering
– Psychology
– Business Administration
– Psychology

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 Central Questions of Computer
Science
• Which problems can be solved by
algorithmic processes?
• How can algorithm discovery be made
easier?
• How can techniques of representing and
communicating algorithms be improved?
• How can characteristics of different
algorithms be analyzed and compared?

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 Central Questions of Computer
Science (continued)
• How can algorithms be used to manipulate
information?
• How can algorithms be applied to produce
intelligent behavior?
• How does the application of algorithms
affect society?

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 Figure 0.5 The central role of
algorithms in computer science

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 Abstraction

• Abstraction: The distinction between the

external properties of an entity and the
details of the entity’s internal composition
• Abstract tool: A “component” that can be
used without concern for the component’s
internal properties

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 Outline of Our Study

• Chapter 1: Data Storage

• Chapter 2: Data Manipulation
• Chapter 3: Operating Systems
• Chapter 4: Networks and the Internet
• Chapter 5: Algorithms
• Chapter 6: Programming Languages

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 Outline of Our Study (continued)

• Chapter 7: Software Engineering

• Chapter 8: Data Abstractions
• Chapter 9: Database Systems
• Chapter 10: Computer Graphics
• Chapter 11: Artificial Intelligence
• Chapter 12: Theory of Computation

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 Social Repercussions

• Advances in computer science raise new

questions.
– In law: Questions of rights and liabilities
– In government: Questions of regulation
– In the work place: Questions of
professionalism
– In society: Questions of social behavior

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 Ethical Theories

• Consequence based:
What leads to the greatest benefit?
• Duty based:
What are my intrinsic obligations?
• Contract based:
What contracts must I honor?
• Character based:
Who do I want to be?

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