Questions tagged [history]

Questions about genesis and development of computer science as a scientific discipline and its applications.

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How not to solve P=NP?

There are lots of attempts at proving either $\mathsf{P} = \mathsf{NP} $ or $\mathsf{P} \neq \mathsf{NP}$, and naturally many people think about the question, having ideas for proving either direction. I know that there are approaches that have been…
Raphael
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What does the "Lambda" in "Lambda calculus" stand for?

I've been reading about Lambda calculus recently but strangely I can't find an explanation for why it is called "Lambda" or where the expression comes from. Can anyone explain the origins of the term?
Klangen
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What is the earliest use of the "this" keyword in any programming language?

I understand the this (or self or Me ) is used to refer to the current object, and that it is a feature of object-oriented programming languages. The earliest language I could find which has such a concept was Smalltalk, which uses self but was…
huijing
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Why has research on genetic algorithms slowed?

While discussing some intro level topics today, including the use of genetic algorithms; I was told that research has really slowed in this field. The reason given was that most people are focusing on machine learning and data mining. Update: Is…
FossilizedCarlos
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What is the definition of Computer Science, and what is the Science within Computer Science?

I am pursuing a BS in Computer Science, but I am at an early point of it, and I am pretty sure I will be happy with my choice given that it seems like an academically and career flexible education to pursue. Having said that, there seems to be a…
user10744
34
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7 answers

Why do we need assembly language?

We mostly write programme in high level language. So while studying I came across assembly language. So an assembler converts assembly language to machine language and a compiler does the same with high level language. I found assembly language has…
Nithin Jose
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Why is a regular language called 'regular'?

I have just completed the first chapter of the Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser which explains the basics of finite automata. He defines a regular language as anything that can be described by a finite automata. But I…
Phil Wright
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How are programming languages and foundations of mathematics related?

Basically I am aware of three foundations for math Set theory Type theory Category theory So in what ways are programming languages and foundations of mathematics related? EDIT The original question was "Programming languages based on foundations of…
Guy Coder
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Why are computable functions also called recursive functions?

In computability theory, computable functions are also called recursive functions. At least at first sight, they do not have anything in common with what you call "recursive" in day-to-day programming (i.e., functions that call themselfes). What is…
Golo Roden
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Is there any reason why the modulo operator is denoted as %?

I would like to know if there is any reason why many programming languages use the notation % for the modulo operator? It is used in the most "famous" languages: C C++ C# Go Java Julia Lua Perl Python
zdm
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What are the first computer science papers that used asymptotic time complexity?

When was big O first used in computer science and when did it become standard? The Wikipedia page on this cites Knuth, Big Omicron and Big Omega And Big Theta , SIGACT April-June 1976, but the beginning of that paper reads Most of us have gotten…
dan
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Who coined the term "machine learning"?

I'm trying to figure out who coined the term "machine learning". An ancillary question is from where is Arthur Samuel cited as defining the field of "machine learning" in 1959 as: the field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without…
robguinness
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What is the earliest use of "trees" in computer science?

I have a little history question, namely, as the title says, I am looking for early uses of trees (as a data structure, search tree, whatever) in computer science.
john_leo
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Did 'Eugene Goostman' really pass the Turing test?

It is being said that 'Eugene Goostman', a computer programme developed to simulate a 13-year-old boy, managed to convince 33 per cent of the judges that it was human, and thus passed the Turing Test. The computer programme, aka a chatbot, was…
Online User
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What is the origin of λ for empty string?

I usually use the symbol $\varepsilon$ for empty string (empty word or null string). But I know some people use $\lambda$ instead of $\varepsilon$. I think $\varepsilon$ is derived from the word "Empty". However I don't know what's the origin of…
nekketsuuu
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