Over the past sixty years, the spectacular growth of the technologies associated with the computer is visible for all to see and experience. Yet, the science underpinning this technology is less visib
As a field, computer science occupies a unique scientific space, in that its subject matter can exist in both physical and abstract realms. An artifact such as software is both tangible and not, and m
By the end of the 1960s, a new discipline named computer science had come into being. A new scientific paradigm--the 'computational paradigm'--was in place, suggesting that computer science had reache
At the heart of creativity is the practice of bringing something new into existence, whether it be a material object or abstract idea, thereby making history and enriching the creative tradition. A Co
Creativity is a topic that has traditionally interested psychologists, historians and biographers. Developments in cognitive science and artificial intelligence have provided a powerful computational framework in which creativity can be studied and the creative process can be described and explained. In this book, creativity in technology is discussed using such a computational approach. Using an important historical episode in computer technology as a case study, namely the invention of microprogramming by Maurice Wilkes in 1951, the author presents a plausible explanation of the process by which Wilkes may have arrived at his invention. Based on this case study, the author has also proposed some very general hypotheses concerning creativity that appear to corroborate the findings of some psychologists and historians and then suggests that creative thinking is not significantly different in nature from everyday thinking and reasoning.
The logic and methodology of design is examined in this book from the perspective of computer science. Computers provide the context for this examination both by discussion of the design process for hardware and software systems and by consideration of the role of computers in design in general. The central question posed by the author is whether or not we can construct a theory of design. This book concentrates upon the relationship between design, mathematics and science and thus its audience must include designers and software designers as well as computer scientists.
The logic and methodology of design is examined in this book from the perspective of computer science. Computers provide the context for this examination both by discussion of the design process for hardware and software systems and by consideration of the role of computers in design in general. The central question posed by the author is whether or not we can construct a theory of design. This book concentrates upon the relationship between design, mathematics and science and thus its audience must include designers and software designers as well as computer scientists.
Creativity is a topic that has traditionally interested psychologists, historians and biographers. Developments in cognitive science and artificial intelligence have provided a powerful computational framework in which creativity can be studied and the creative process can be described and explained. In this book, creativity in technology is discussed using such a computational approach. Using an important historical episode in computer technology as a case study, namely the invention of microprogramming by Maurice Wilkes in 1951, the author presents a plausible explanation of the process by which Wilkes may have arrived at his invention. Based on this case study, the author has also proposed some very general hypotheses concerning creativity that appear to corroborate the findings of some psychologists and historians and then suggests that creative thinking is not significantly different in nature from everyday thinking and reasoning.
