Should Computer Scientists Experiment More - Essay Example

SHOULD COMPUTER SCIENTISTS DO EXPERIMENTS? Summary Walter Tichy’s article discusses reasons why computer scientists should not conduct experiments. For instance, the author asserts that computer science deals with programs and software that are human creations. The programs and software require practical analyses instead of theoretical approaches and empirical observations conducted in the social and natural sciences. It is also apparent that experiments are costly and do not reveal the correct aspects required to operate computers1.

This implies that computer scientists do not want to waste resources on experiments and, instead, could use them to invent other programs. The article also states that experimentations can also be helpful to computer scientists if they need to understand other models applicable in the systems. In this regard, computer scientists feel that experimentations in their profession do not add value, but is time consuming and costly2. CritiqueOn the contrary, I think experiments are suitable for computer scientists because it helps them to discover new trends in their profession.

This is because experiments do not have to be in the labs or organized settings, but can take place in seminars or workshops3. For instance, before the introduction of new software, computer scientists can model programs for trial basis. I also think experiments can be useful because computer science requires problem solving techniques. Considering this, experiments improve one’s ability to handle difficult situations that might exist when operating a computer application. The article is biased and does not offer the genuine reasons why computer scientists disregard experiments in their profession4.

BibliographyTichy, Walter. 1998, “Should Computers Scientists Experiment More?” Computer, Vol. 98, Pp. 32-40.