Computation (nonfiction)

The Ishango bone (nonfiction), believed to be more than 20,000 years old. The notches represent computation of some kind -- perhaps tallying, perhaps something more complex. Note the piece of quartz set into the end of the stick.

Computation is any type of calculation that follows a well-defined conceptual model which is understood and expressed in a useful manner, such as an algorithm.

Calculation is a term for the computation of numbers.

Computation is a wider reaching term for information processing in general.

The study of computation is paramount to the discipline of computer science.

In the News

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  Brainiac challenges Superman to convert force into computation.

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  Binary counter offers to help Ishango bone study for final exam in computer science.

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon Algorithm
• Mathematics
• The Frantic Doxologist - an ongoing experiment in accelerated intercessory prayer, similar to high-energy literature but computed using religious and spiritual values.

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Algorithm (nonfiction)
• Computer science (nonfiction)
• Mathematics (nonfiction)

External links:

• Computation @ Wikipedia
• Free MIT video lecture series: Introduction to Python @ Boing Boing