Summary

Goals

Bob: What have we been doing the last four weeks?

Our goal: To become acquainted with Computer Science through study of a broad selection of goals, techniques, and contributions.

Secondary goals:

• develop skill of describing procedures methodically
• collaborate on technical issues

Definition

Carrie: So what is computer science?

Computer science asks, ``How can we efficiently solve problems?''

Spot: Arf!

Spot's answer aside, computers and programming are central techniques for solving problems automatically. Note that they are not inherent in the question, however.

Facets of the question

Alice: How can we efficiently solve problems?

The question has many facets.

• Computational complexity,
• Algorithms,
• Artificial intelligence,
• Human-computer interaction,
• Programming languages,
• Software systems,
• Software engineering,
• Hardware systems.

Schedule

Bob: Yes, but what have we been doing these last four weeks?!?

  ____________________________________________________________
T __________________________OVERVIEW__________________________
                            hardware
W ____________________________________________________________

R

F 
  
T                             Java
  ______________________________  programming
W 
           cryptography
R ______________________________
  ____________games_____________
F          compression
  ______________________________
T             big-O
  ______________________________
W           recursion
  ______________________________
R 
                                ______________________________
F                                          recursion
                  algorithmic   ______________________________
T                           methods
  ____________________________________________________________
W                   computational complexity
  ____________________________________________________________
R                     software engineering
  ____________________________________________________________
F                           Internet
  ____________________________________________________________
S ___________________________REVIEW___________________________

Alice: We really covered all that?

Well, no. We blazed through it.

The goal is to become acquainted. Becoming familiar is a process for four years, not four weeks.

But we still covered a lot of substantial stuff.

Goals, Techniques, and Contributions

Carrie: What are the goals, techniques, and contributions?

Goals:

• speed
• safety
• completeness

Techniques:

• description and discussion
• mathematical proof
• building and experimentation
• surveys

Contributions:

• precise, concise procedure description (programming languages)
• rigorous efficiency analysis (big-O notation)
• hardness of problems (complexity)
• better systems (software engr, systems)
• nifty stick figures

Finale