1.2 What Is Computer Science?
You probably rely on computers and networks every day. Yet even though computers have become part of the backdrop of our lives, you may not have explored the world of programming.
The important question in this chapter is “What is computer science?” The problem with answering this question is that the term is misleading right from the start. You might think computer science is the exploration and discovery of how a computer works. That makes little sense given that computers are manufactured by humans. According to a quote often attributed to the early computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra, “Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.”
Computer science is not like biology or physics, ...
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