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class="internal" title="Special:Userlogin">Log in</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help" class="internal" title="Wikipedia:Help">Help</a> <br><form class="inline" method="get" action="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml"><input type="hidden" name="PHPSESSID" value="854617d55a5b66c0fae25d43efa87739"/><input type="text" name="search" size="16" value=""> <input type="submit" value="Search"></form></td></tr></table> </div> <div id="article"><h1 class="pagetitle">Computer science</h1><p class="subtitle">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. <p> <p> <strong>Computer science</strong> is the study of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer" class="internal" title="Computer">computers</a> and their applications, in all aspects. <p> Only in the last third of the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century" class="internal" title="20th century">20th century</a> has it begun to be recognized as a separate discipline and developed its own methods and terminology. It has roots in <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering" class="internal" title="Electrical engineering">electrical engineering</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics" class="internal" title="Mathematics">mathematics</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistics" class="internal" title="Linguistics">linguistics</a>, and is a blend of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science" class="internal" title="Science">science</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering" class="internal" title="Engineering">engineering</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art" class="internal" title="Art">art</a>. <p> <pre> Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes - <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsger_Dijkstra" class="internal" title="Edsger Dijkstra">Edsger Dijkstra</a> </pre><p> <p> <p> <p> <p> See <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_scientist" class="internal" title="Computer scientist">computer scientist</a> for a list of famous computer scientists. <p> See also <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing" class="internal" title="Computing">computing</a>. <p> <p> Major subfields include <p> <ul><li> Mathematical foundations <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_algebra" class="internal" title="Boolean algebra">Boolean algebra</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_numbering_formats" class="internal" title="Computer numbering formats">Computer numbering formats</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_mathematics" class="internal" title="Discrete mathematics">Discrete mathematics</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_logic" class="internal" title="Symbolic logic">Symbolic logic</a> </li></ul></li></ul><p> <p> <ul><li> Theoretical computer science <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_information_theory" class="internal" title="Algorithmic information theory">Algorithmic information theory</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_complexity_theory" class="internal" title="Computational complexity theory">Complexity theory</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computability_theory" class="internal" title="Computability theory">Computability theory</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_theory" class="internal" title="Information theory">Information theory</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computation" class="internal" title="Computation">Theory of computation</a> (or <em>theoretical computer science</em>) </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_theory" class="internal" title="Type theory">Type theory</a> </li></ul></li></ul><p> <ul><li> Algorithms <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm" class="internal" title="Algorithm">Algorithms</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compiler" class="internal" title="Compiler">Compilers</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexical_Analysis" class="internal" title="Lexical Analysis">Lexical Analysis</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprogram" class="internal" title="Microprogram">Microprogramming</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system" class="internal" title="Operating system">Operating systems</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography" class="internal" title="Cryptography">Cryptography</a> </li></ul></li></ul><p> <ul><li> Applied computer science <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence" class="internal" title="Artificial intelligence">Artificial intelligence</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_architecture" class="internal" title="Computer architecture">Computer architecture</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphics" class="internal" title="Computer graphics">Computer graphics</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network" class="internal" title="Computer network">Computer networks</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_program" class="internal" title="Computer program">Computer program</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programming" class="internal" title="Computer programming">Computer programming</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_security" class="internal" title="Computer security">Computer security</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database" class="internal" title="Database">Databases</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_structure" class="internal" title="Data structure">Data structure</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_computing" class="internal" title="Distributed computing">Distributed computing</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_retrieval" class="internal" title="Information retrieval">Information retrieval</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_language" class="internal" title="Programming language">Programming languages</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_specification" class="internal" title="Program specification">Program specification</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_verification" class="internal" title="Program verification">Program verification</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineering" class="internal" title="Software engineering">Software engineering</a> </li></ul></li></ul><p> <p> <ul><li> Specific techniques <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmark" class="internal" title="Benchmark">Benchmark</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_vision" class="internal" title="Computer vision">Computer vision</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_compression" class="internal" title="Data compression">Data compression</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_structure" class="internal" title="Data structure">Data structures</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_pattern" class="internal" title="Design pattern">Design patterns</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_signal_processing" class="internal" title="Digital signal processing">Digital signal processing</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_format" class="internal" title="File format">File formats</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-computer_interaction" class="internal" title="Human-computer interaction">Human-computer interaction</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_security" class="internal" title="Information security">Information security</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" class="internal" title="Internet">Internet</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_computations_and_algorithms" class="internal" title="Online computations and algorithms">Online computations and algorithms</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_optimization" class="internal" title="Software optimization">Optimization</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Large_System_Integration" class="internal" title="Very Large System Integration">VLSI design</a> </li></ul></li></ul><p> Related articles: <ul><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_Award" class="internal" title="Turing Award">Turing Award</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_John_von_Neumann_Medal" class="internal" title="IEEE John von Neumann Medal">IEEE John von Neumann Medal</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_jargon" class="internal" title="Computer jargon">Computer jargon</a> </li><li> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jargon_file" class="internal" title="Jargon file">Computer slang</a> </li></ul><p> <hr> <b>What are our priorities for writing in this area? To help develop a list of the most basic topics in computer science, please see <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science_basic_topics" class="internal" title="Computer science basic topics">Computer science basic topics</a>.</b> </div><br clear="all"> <div id="footer"><table width="98%" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td width="152"> </td><td class="bottom" align="left" valign="top"><strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Computer_science&action=edit" class="internal" title="Computer science">Edit this page</a></strong> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Computer_science" class="internal" title="Talk:Computer science">Talk page</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Computer_science&action=history" class="internal" title="Computer science">History</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target=Computer_science" class="internal" title="Special:Whatlinkshere">What links here</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Recentchangeslinked&target=Computer_science" class="internal" title="Special:Recentchangeslinked">Watch links</a> <br>Other languages: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://ca.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Inform%E0tica" class="external" title="ca:Inform鄑ica">Catalan</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informatik" class="external" title="de:Informatik">German</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://eo.wikipedia.com/wiki/Komputiko" class="external" title="eo:Komputiko">Esperanto</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://fr.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Informatique" class="external" title="fr:Informatique">French</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://it.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Informatica" class="external" title="it:Informatica">Italian</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informatica" class="external" title="nl:Informatica">Dutch</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://no.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Informatikk" class="external" title="no:Informatikk">Norwegian</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://pl.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Informatyka" class="external" title="pl:Informatyka">Polish</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://pt.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Computa%E7%E3o" class="external" title="pt:Computa玢o">Portuguese</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://af.wikipedia.com/wiki.cgi?Rekenaarwetenskap" class="external" title="af:Rekenaarwetenskap">Afrikaans</a> <br><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" class="internal" title="Main Page">Main Page</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About" class="internal" title="Wikipedia:About">About Wikipedia</a> | <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Recentchanges" class="internal" title="Special:Recentchanges">Recent changes</a> | <form class="inline" method="get" action="http://web.archive.org/web/20021010020326/http://www.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml"><input type="hidden" name="PHPSESSID" value="854617d55a5b66c0fae25d43efa87739"/><input type="text" name="search" size="16" value=""> <input type="submit" value="Search"></form><br><span id="pagestats">This page has been accessed 7095 times. 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