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Hello Computer Science

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Hello World!

2:09 with Richard Tillies

Hello World! In this video, we will introduce you to the wonderful world of computer science. We will establish a definition of the term "computer science" and set expectations of what to expect in this workshop.

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    [MUSIC] 0:00
    Hello, world. 0:09
    My name is Richard, I'm an instructor at Treehouse, 0:10
    and my background is computer science. 0:13
    Your first question might be, what exactly is computer science? 0:16
    Is it the science of working with computers? 0:20
    Well, there's no set definition. 0:23
    It seems that every major university and 0:26
    computing organization has their own take on it. 0:28
    To help us define computer science, 0:32
    consider the Oscar nominated film Hidden Figures released in 2016. 0:35
    It was the true story of Black women who are hired at NASA to perform complex 0:40
    mathematical calculations for upcoming space missions. 0:45
    Their job title, computers. 0:49
    So the term computer science doesn't necessarily refer to this machine we call 0:53
    a computer, because the term existed long before computers were widely available. 0:58
    In fact, Edsger Dijkstra, 1:03
    an influential figure in the early days of the discipline, once stated that computer 1:05
    science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. 1:10
    It has been argued that a more appropriate term might be computing science, 1:17
    although most of the work in the modern age is done for and by computers. 1:22
    So here's our definition. 1:29
    Computer science is the study and design of algorithms, 1:31
    computations, and information systems, in both theory and 1:35
    practice, typically with the aid of computers. 1:40
    I know, that's a mouthful. 1:45
    As we move forward, we will provide more 1:47
    understanding of the term computer science as you begin this new journey. 1:50
    Just like telescopes are tools in the study of astronomy, 1:55
    computers are tools in computer science. 1:59
    In the next video, we will unpack the history of computers and the Internet. 2:03
    See you there. 2:08

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