Computer Science: Can It Be Done in Steps?

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We’ve all gone through the stressful rites of learning the scientific method in elementary and middle school, these rites being accompanied by multitudes of science projects throughout the years. Eventually, it’s drilled into our heads against our will and we grow up thinking we know everything there is to know about the scientific method. But when one stops to think, one realizes that one really does not know about it, at least in one way: that is, its application to the computer science area.

Referring back to these past science fair projects, one will find that we were only required to build volcanoes, to plant flower seeds upside down and see which direction the plant grows, to analyze the amount of pollution in a certain area (though that was a far reach for a 6th grader), or to see how much bacteria grows in the kitchen sink. None of these have to do with Computer Science, only with the Natural Sciences. So where do the Computer Sciences really come into play? And how does the scientific method help when it comes to computer science?

The scientific method is a basic process which we use in order to come to a scientific conclusion about something. Essentially, it is used to solve a problem of some sort. It follows basic steps, although they may not be carried out exactly as I am about to list them. Firstly, there must be a form of observation of the subject. This may involve doing simple research, or pinpointing exactly where the question lies. The question will then be transferred over to the hypothesis, which is an educated guess of what the outcome of the scientific process may be. After identifying the hypothesis, one must decide how best to go about answering the hypothesis, and must formulate the outline of an experiment. Afterwards, one must actually perform the experiment as planned in the previous step. The results of this experiment must be gathered, organized, and analyzed, at which point one is ready to form a conclusion and report one’s results (Shrake, Elfner, Hummon, Janson, Free, 2006, 131).

The scientific method is relevant to our lives because it allows any person, even young children, to follow a set method that reveals how to go about solving a problem. Although one person may initially conduct a certain experiment, if that person follows the scientific method and leaves detailed descriptions of the process, then anyone would be able to go back and recreate that experiment. In this way, science can be shared with the world and not just a few people (Shrake, et al).

So how is the scientific method related to computer science? Firstly, computer science is derived from mathematics, and is also related to logic as well. In fact, computer science could not exist were it not for mathematics. It is, at its base, a study of algorithms (Knuth, 1974, 325). It is inarguable that mathematics do not include usage of the scientific method, because the scientific method is a step by step formula practically, on how to solve a problem. Mathematics works the same way. In a sense, every time one does a math problem, one is following the scientific process to a “t.”

Computer science, although most closely related to mathematics, can also be related to most other sciences, in that one can figure out chemistry, music, physics, and many other sciences through the use of computers or computer science in general. Chemistry is a natural science, and thus implements the scientific method throughout its area. So by proxy, the computer sciences do use the scientific method, for a step-by-step implementation of whichever scientific area they are dealing with.

One can get even more specific, however, with an explanation of how the scientific method is directly used with computer science. The scientific method requires specification and even computer science can fit the bill. For example, a popular computer science experiment among students is the Monty Hall Problem (Braught, Reed, 2002). This is in reference to the host of the tv show “Let’s Make A Deal” in which there is a prize hidden behind one out of three doors and the other two doors have nothing behind them. A contestant can pick one door, but is then given the opportunity to switch doors. The problem lies in whether it is in fact more beneficial for a contestant to pick a different door or stay with his initial pick.

Following the scientific method, one would first determine the problem, described above, and observing it, which would involve looking at how the game is set up, doing basic analysis of the probability needed, etc. A hypothesis must then be formed, using what one theorized during the observation of the problem to come up with an educated guess of the answer. From then, a program, a simulation of the problem, must be created that can resolve the answer. This step involves two parts: Firstly, the planning out of the program (the experiment) and secondly, the building of the program, namely, writing it and then executing it. One can then form and write a conclusion based on the results of the experiment, the running of the program (Bruaght, 108). This experiment utilizes the scientific method, as well as showing computer science at its base, thus proving that the scientific method can in fact be used in the computer science area.

Science, a complex art, will always provide an infinite gold mine of knowledge to anyone willing to dig it up, whether twelve years old or eighty. Although commonly considered a “newer” form of science, it’s existed for centuries, if only in theory rather than practice. Every science has a similarity, a bond, and that is the beauty of the scientific method, the process that lets us take a complicated idea and transform it into one that anyone can comprehend.

Works Cited

Braught, G., Reed, D. (2002). Disequilibration for teaching the scientific method in computer science. ACM SIGC SE Bulletin, 106-110. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from

Knuth, D.E. (1974). Computer Science and Its Relation to Mathematics. The American Mathematical Monthly, 323-343. Retrieved November 20, 2007 from

Shrake, D. L., Elfner, L. E., Hummon, W., Janson, R. W., & Free, M. (2006). What is science? Ohio Journal of Science, 106(4), 130-135. Retrieved November 18, 2007 from Academic Search Complete Database.