Research 2: Programming Languages (Prof Giselle/PL)
Why did we move from punch cards to programming languages?
Punch cards were error-prone, difficult to keep safe, and heavily hardware-dependent. Their order mattered, and a small mistake could break the entire program. Programming languages emerged to improve efficiency, readability, and usability[1].
Why are there so many programming languages?
Specialization for different domains.
Developer preferences.
Platform and runtime requirements.
Historical evolution and legacy systems[2].
Drawbacks of Python
Slow at runtime.
High memory consumption.
Not widely used in enterprise development.
Runtime errors are common[3].
If you were to create a new programming language...
I would first define its logic, syntax rules, and keywords to ensure it is consistent and user-friendly.
A computational problem that has only two possible outputs: "yes" or "no". [1]
What does it mean for a decision problem to be decidable?
A decision problem is decidable if an algorithm exists that can always provide a correct "yes" or "no" answer for any given input. [2]
What is the class P? What is the class NP?
Class P includes all decision problems solvable by a deterministic computer in polynomial time (efficiently).
Class NP (nondeterministic polynomial time) contains decision problems where a proposed solution can be verified by a deterministic computer in polynomial time. [3]
What is the intuitive meaning of the “P versus NP” question?
The P versus NP question asks if every problem whose solution can be quickly verified can also be quickly solved.
"P" represents problems that are quick to solve, while "NP" represents problems where solutions are quick to verify, even if finding the solution itself is slow. [4]
If you resolve the P versus NP question, how much richer will you be?
Cloud Computing is a technology that allows people to store and access data and applications over the internet instead of using a personal computer’s hard drive or a local server. [1]
Is cloud computing a new technology per se? In other words, what are the unique technology features of cloud computing, if any?
It is not a new technology. Some of the unique technology features: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity or expansion, and measured service. [2]
What are the three major cloud service models?
SaaS, PaaS, IaaS. [3]
Name at least 3 real-world domains where the application of cloud computing was (or can be) very enabling and effective.
Backup and recovery. Cloud Computing in Medical Fields: remote access to patients’ information. E-commerce: manage online business. [4]
What is the economic/business model of cloud computing?
Pay only for the services that you consume or in other words, based on a pay-as-you-go or utility-based pricing model. [5]
How would you define Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
I would define AI as a subset of CS and a technology that can reason, think, and make decisions as a human or even better, learning some patterns of decision-making from a lot of data.[1]
AI has existed for nearly 70 years. Why is it experiencing an impressive growth right now?
People were finally able to create general-purpose technology (GPT) that enabled using AI in everyday life. GPT was created thanks to combined factors of powerful GPUs, the massive availability of data to train models, advancements in generative AI, and increased investment in AI infrastructure. [2]
Can you identify three domains or classes of problems where current AI models still face significant challenges?
High implementation costs, explainability issues, integration with legacy issues. [3]
Can you name at least three application sectors where robots are widely used, and explain why they are employed in those sectors?
Robots are widely used in manufacturing, healthcare, and agriculture.
Manufacturing: robots can do big quantity tasks without spending mental and physical resources as people do.
Healthcare: robots offer enhanced precision for complex procedures. In logistics and labs, they increase efficiency and reduce the burden on healthcare professionals, allowing them to focus on patient care.
Agriculture: Robots help farmers increase efficiency and productivity by automating labor-intensive processes. [4]
Do you believe that the convergence of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and fully autonomous robotics is imminent and could potentially have a major impact on the world?
I think it is possible, but people would not let robotics be fully autonomous, mainly because it might cause negative effects such as loss of control. However, not fully but still autonomous robots can improve efficiency of processes they execute.
