Computer Science, The Future Literacy

 

Computer science, or coding, is the literacy of the future and it is very lucrative in the present. Current graduates of university programs are generally being hired into well-paying, interesting jobs.

 
So what exactly is computer science?

It is the study of the results of interaction between systems, both abstract  and physical systems, the underlying phenomenon behind the interactions themselves, and their applications and relationship to other systems.

This is a very broad definition, but I think it captures most (but probably not all) aspects of computer science. Here are a few points from the definition above

1. The study of interaction between systems: This includes computer programs and algorithms, which are abstract systems. Mathematics which is an abstract system. Digital systems, communication systems, social systems, financial systems, ecological systems, and the list goes on. Wherever there is some interaction between systems, there is computation and computer science involves the study of these interactions. Note that a digital computer in a strict sense involves interaction between electrical and mathematical systems.
2. The underlying phenomenon: Computer science seeks to fathom the deepest mysteries of life. Consider one such mystery which is one of the most important problems of mathematics today - the P versus NP problem. This problem essentially asks the question: Is it harder to find a solution to a problem than to check that a proposed solution is correct? The implications of this question are far reaching and deeper than any mathematical theorem ever proven (and probably ever to be proven) because it essentially asks a question about the foundations of all computation. Its implications span almost all branches of knowledge from philosophy to art to chemistry to biology to mathematics to engineering to finance and yes to computer science. Just name any decline, this problem is relevant to the discipline in some way. This is the power of computer science. Its ability to connect various fields with deep and profound questions which are far reaching.
3. Their applications and relationships to other systems: Now this part of the definition includes the more popular understanding of computer science as a field which has had tremendous practical influences on our world. The impact of this new science cannot be understated since everyone who has ever used google or the internet in general can tell of how beneficial it has been to them. But I'll also like to stress that computer science also seeks to understand the relationships between systems since this is the driving force behind all innovation. Innovation is all about exploiting novel relationships between systems.     credit: http://www.quora.com/What-is-computer-science-3