Computer scientist

Last updated

Computer scientist
Occupation
Occupation type
Academic
Description
Competencies Computer science and other formal sciences (e.g. mathematics, logic, statistics, information theory, systems science)
Education required
Doctoral degree, master's degree, bachelor's degree
Fields of
employment
universities,
private corporations,
financial industry,
government, military
Related jobs
Mathematician, logician

A computer scientist is a scholar who specializes in the academic study of computer science. [1]

Contents

Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on specific areas (such as algorithm and data structure development and design, software engineering, information theory, database theory, theoretical computer science, numerical analysis, programming language theory, compiler, computer graphics, computer vision, robotics, computer architecture, operating system), their foundation is the theoretical study of computing from which these other fields derive. [2]

A primary goal of computer scientists is to develop or validate models, often mathematical, to describe the properties of computational systems (processors, programs, computers interacting with people, computers interacting with other computers, etc.) with an overall objective of discovering designs that yield useful benefits (faster, smaller, cheaper, more precise, etc.).

Education

Most computer scientists are required to possess a PhD, M.S., Bachelor's degree in computer science, or other similar fields like Information and Computer Science (CIS), or a closely related discipline such as mathematics [2] or physics. [3]

Areas of specialization

Employment

Computer scientists are often hired by software publishing firms, scientific research and development organizations where they develop the theories that allow new technologies to be developed. Computer scientists are also employed by educational institutions such as universities.

Computer scientists can follow more practical applications of their knowledge, doing things such as software engineering. They can also be found in the field of information technology consulting, and may be seen as a type of mathematician, given how much of the field depends on mathematics. [4] Computer scientists employed in industry may eventually advance into managerial or project leadership positions. [5]

Employment prospects for computer scientists are said to be excellent. Such prospects seem to be attributed, in part, to very rapid growth in computer systems design and related services industry, and the software publishing industry, which are projected to be among the fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy. [2]

Notable Computer Scientists and Programmers

Portrait of Charles Babbage Portrait of Charles Babbage.png
Portrait of Charles Babbage

It is relevant to keep in mind that the role of a programmer is related to that of a computer scientist but it is not identical. Programmer generally refers to individuals who use programming languages to implement algorithms and solve specific problems. So, one can think of programmers as a subset of computer scientists.

Some regard that Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz is the first computer scientist [6] because of his invention of Stepped reckoner in 1694, a digital non-programmable mechanical calculator. Though this was not the first mechanical calculator, his contributions on binary numbers made him to be considered as the first computer scientist. [7] But due to the definition of computer such that “a programmable usually electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data” [8] , Charles Babbage who is the inventor the first programmable machine, the Analytical Engine, is considered as the first computer scientist and the father of computer science. [9] [10] Designed in 1837, the Analytical Engine was basically a mechanical calculator programmable through punched cards. But, owing to various challenges like funding issues, technological limitations, and political factors, the creation of the machine wasn’t completed before Babbage’s death. [11]

Being interested in the Analytical Engine, Ada Lovelace realized that this machine has broader functionality than calculator and could perform an extensive sequence of mathematical operations. [12] In 1843, she constructed a set of instructions to calculate Bernoulli numbers using punched cards. These sequences of instructions were counted as the first computer program by some which made Ada Lovelace the first computer programmer. [13] Because the Analytical Engine wasn’t completed during that time, she never had found the opportunity to execute the program on the engine. But her algorithm laid the groundwork for future programming concepts. [14] The incomplete project of Babbage was then actualized by the German computer scientist Konrad Zuse with his development of the world's first working programmable digital computer called Z3 in 1940. Due to his achievements, Zuse is considered as the father of the modern computer. [15]

Alan Turing was another computer scientist who is regarded as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. [16] He introduced the concept of the Turing Machine, in 1936, that lays the foundation of modern computers. This conceptual framework helped to comprehend the limitations of computers [17] in terms of deciding whether a computer can solve a specific problem or not. His contributions in decoding Nazi’s Enigma codes contributed to shortening World War 2 and save countless lives. [18] Similarly in the 20th century, Tim Berners-Lee changed the world by inventing the World Wide Web. He created the first web browser and web server; he paved the roads of the protocols that govern the web.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ada Lovelace</span> English mathematician (1815–1852)

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analytical engine</span> Proposed mechanical general-purpose computer

The analytical engine was a proposed digital mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was first described in 1837 as the successor to Babbage's difference engine, which was a design for a simpler mechanical calculator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computing</span> Activity involving calculations or computing machinery

Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, engineering, mathematical, technological and social aspects. Major computing disciplines include computer engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, data science, information systems, information technology and software engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Software</span> Non-tangible executable component of a computer

Software is a collection of programs and data that tell a computer how to perform specific tasks. Software often includes associated software documentation. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer science</span> Study of computation

Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines to applied disciplines. Though more often considered an academic discipline, computer science is closely related to computer programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of computing hardware</span>

The history of computing hardware covers the developments from early simple devices to aid calculation to modern day computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Programmer</span> Person who writes computer software

A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs.

In computability theory, a system of data-manipulation rules is said to be Turing-complete or computationally universal if it can be used to simulate any Turing machine. This means that this system is able to recognize or decide other data-manipulation rule sets. Turing completeness is used as a way to express the power of such a data-manipulation rule set. Virtually all programming languages today are Turing-complete.

Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. One well known subject classification system for computer science is the ACM Computing Classification System devised by the Association for Computing Machinery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of computing</span>

The history of computing is longer than the history of computing hardware and modern computing technology and includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Baby</span> First electronic stored-program computer, 1948

The Manchester Baby, also called the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM), was the first electronic stored-program computer. It was built at the University of Manchester by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill, and ran its first program on 21 June 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of programming languages</span> History of languages used to program computers

The history of programming languages spans from documentation of early mechanical computers to modern tools for software development. Early programming languages were highly specialized, relying on mathematical notation and similarly obscure syntax. Throughout the 20th century, research in compiler theory led to the creation of high-level programming languages, which use a more accessible syntax to communicate instructions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BCS Lovelace Medal</span> Award

The Lovelace Medal was established by the British Computer Society in 1998, and is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the understanding or advancement of computing. It is the top award in computing in the UK. Awardees deliver the Lovelace Lecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in computing</span> Role of women in computing

Women in computing were among the first programmers in the early 20th century, and contributed substantially to the industry. As technology and practices altered, the role of women as programmers has changed, and the recorded history of the field has downplayed their achievements. Since the 18th century, women have developed scientific computations, including Nicole-Reine Lepaute's prediction of Halley's Comet, and Maria Mitchell's computation of the motion of Venus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of computer science</span>

The history of computer science began long before the modern discipline of computer science, usually appearing in forms like mathematics or physics. Developments in previous centuries alluded to the discipline that we now know as computer science. This progression, from mechanical inventions and mathematical theories towards modern computer concepts and machines, led to the development of a major academic field, massive technological advancement across the Western world, and the basis of a massive worldwide trade and culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer</span> Automatic general-purpose device for performing arithmetic or logical operations

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These programs enable computers to perform a wide range of tasks. The term computer system may refer to a nominally complete computer that includes the hardware, operating system, software, and peripheral equipment needed and used for full operation; or to a group of computers that are linked and function together, such as a computer network or computer cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of software</span>

Software is a set of programmed instructions stored in the memory of stored-program digital computers for execution by the processor. Software is a recent development in human history and is fundamental to the Information Age.

<i>Turochamp</i> 1948 chess program

Turochamp is a chess program developed by Alan Turing and David Champernowne in 1948. It was created as part of research by the pair into computer science and machine learning. Turochamp is capable of playing an entire chess game against a human player at a low level of play by calculating all potential moves and all potential player moves in response, as well as some further moves it deems considerable. It then assigns point values to each game state, and selects the move resulting in the highest point value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Note G</span> Computer algorithm

Note G is a computer algorithm written by Ada Lovelace that was designed to calculate Bernoulli numbers using the hypothetical analytical engine. Note G is generally agreed to be the first algorithm specifically for a computer, and Lovelace is considered as the first computer programmer as a result. The algorithm was the last note in a series labelled A to G, which she employed as visual aids to accompany her English translation of Luigi Menabrea's 1842 French transcription of Charles Babbage's lecture on the analytical engine at the University of Turin, "Notions sur la machine analytique de Charles Babbage". Lovelace's Note G was never tested, as the engine was never built. Her notes, along with her translation, were published in 1843.

References

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  4. "Computing Disciplines & Majors" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  5. Perry, Benjamin Beau. "What is a computer scientist?". The University of Newcastle. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
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  13. "Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  14. "Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  15. "Z like Zuse: German inventor of the computer". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  16. "Alan Turing". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
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  18. "Alan Turing's lost letters found in filing cabinet". BBC News. Retrieved 22 February 2024.