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What Is Computer Science?

An Information Security Perspective

  • Textbook
  • © 2014

Overview

Authors:
  1. Daniel Page

    1. Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Nigel Smart

    1. Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Explains the fundamental topics in computer science using a set of easily identifiable examples and applications
  • Provides a unified approach, offering exercises that can be reproduced by the reader without the need for any prior programming experience
  • Presents each topic in the form of a "mini" lecture course, demonstrating how it allows us to solve real problems
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science (UTICS)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XVIII
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  2. Foundations of Computer Science

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Compressing and Correcting Digital Media

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 3-32

    3. Writing and Comparing Algorithms

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 33-52

    4. Playing Hide-and-Seek with Virus Scanners

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 53-75

    5. How Long Is a Piece of String?

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 77-97

    6. Demystifying Web-Search: the Mathematics of PageRank

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 99-124

  3. Examples from Information Security

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 125-125
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    2. Using Short Programs to Make and Break Historical Ciphers

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 127-147

    3. Generation and Testing of Random Numbers

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 149-168

    4. Safety in Numbers: Modern Cryptography from Ancient Arithmetic

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 169-198

    5. Hiding a Needle in a Haystack: Concealed Messages

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 199-213

    6. Picking Digital Pockets

      • Daniel Page, Nigel Smart
      Pages 215-227

  4. Back Matter

    Pages 229-232
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Keywords

About this book

This engaging and accessible text addresses the fundamental question: What Is Computer Science? The book showcases a set of representative concepts broadly connected by the theme of information security, for which the presentation of each topic can be treated as a "mini" lecture course, demonstrating how it allows us to solve real problems, as well as how it relates to other subjects. The discussions are further supported by numerous examples and practical hands-on exercises. Features: presents a concise introduction to the study of algorithms and describes how computers work; introduces the concepts of data compression, and error detection and correction; highlights the role of data structures; explores the topic of web-search; reviews both historic and modern cryptographic schemes, examines how a physical system can leak information and discusses the idea of randomness; investigates the science of steganography; provides additional supplementary material at an associated website.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“The main audience of this textbook is students (either currently studying subjects related to CS or thinking about enrolling in that area of study) as well as teachers (who might use the book when preparing and developing courses and teaching materials). … The book can facilitate independent learning. … the book walks its readers through relevant and reasonably detailed examples, providing relatable ideas that will help them grasp these concepts.” (Budi Arief, Computing Reviews, May, 2014)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Daniel Page, Nigel Smart

About the authors

Dr. Daniel Page and Prof. Nigel Smart are lecturers in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol, UK, affiliated to the Cryptography and Information Security Group. Daniel Page is also the author of the Springer textbook A Practical Introduction to Computer Architecture.

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