
Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 2, 2025 · Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information.
Computer science and its application in various fields | Britannica
computer science, Study of computers, their design (see computer architecture), and their uses for computation, data processing, and systems control, including design and development of computer …
Computer science Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
1 ENTRIES FOUND: computer science (noun) computer science noun Britannica Dictionary definition of COMPUTER SCIENCE [noncount] : the study of computers and their uses
Compiler | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Nov 28, 2025 · Compiler, computer software that translates (compiles) source code written in a high-level language (e.g., C++) into a set of machine-language instructions that can be understood by a …
Protocol | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 18, 2025 · Perhaps the most important computer protocol is OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), a set of guidelines for implementing networking communications between computers.
Computer simulation | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Computer simulation, the use of a computer to represent the dynamic responses of one system by the behavior of another system modeled after it. A simulation uses a mathematical description, or model, …
Algorithm | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 5, 2025 · Although Turing ended up proving that there must exist undecidable propositions, his description of the essential features of any general-purpose algorithm machine, or Turing machine, …
Pattern recognition | Definition, Applications, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 10, 2025 · pattern recognition, in computer science, the imposition of identity on input data, such as speech, images, or a stream of text, by the recognition and delineation of patterns it contains and …
Computer program | Definition & Facts | Britannica
The first digital computer designed with internal programming capacity was the “Baby,” constructed at Manchester in 1948. A program is prepared by first formulating a task and then expressing it in an …
RAM | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
6 days ago · Computer memory is divided into main (or primary) memory and auxiliary (or secondary) memory. Main memory holds instructions and data when a program is executing, while auxiliary …