Computer Science at Oxford

From Computer Science at Oxford

Prospective undergraduate students

Books & e-book reader. Photo credit: Reilly Butler

For prospective undergraduate students, or those just wanting to learn a bit more about what Computer Science is really about, we encourage you to read any relevant materials that you find interesting. Some examples are provided below to get you started. You don't need to read all of them, but nor is the list exhaustive. Your local library should be able to help with many of the books listed:

• Out of Their Minds by D Shasha and Cathy Lazere. ISBN: 978-3540979920 – the lives and discoveries of fifteen unsung computer scientists whose programs have helped people from factory owners to cartoonists
• The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work by Daniel Hillis. ISBN: 978-0465025961 – explains the basic concepts of the computer in everyday language
• The Little Schemer by Daniel P Friedman, Matthias Felleisen and Duane Bibby. ISBN: 978-0262560993 – leads you through the basic elements of programming in Scheme (a Lisp dialect) via a series of questions and exercises, also showing you how to think about computation and demonstrate how to apply these concepts in inventive ways.
• The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick. ISBN: 978-0007225736 – a chronicle that shows how information has become "the modern era's defining quality – the blood, the fuel, the vital principle of our world."
• The Pleasures of Counting by Tom Körner. ISBN: 978-0521568234 – puts Maths into the context of how it is used to solve real-world problems
• The Code Book by Simon Singh. ISBN: 978-1857028898 – not strictly about Computer Science, but an interesting introduction to code-breaking and cryptography, fields that have a strong connection to Computer Science.
• Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing by David Harel. ISBN: 978-0321117847 – the concepts, ideas, methods and results fundamental to Computer Science, in a way that is independent of the details of specific computers, languages, etc
• The New Turing Omnibus by A Kee Dewdney. ISBN: 978-0805071665 – mini articles on Computer Science topics.

• Quantum Computing for High School Students – article from Scott Aaronson at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• The columns of Brian Hayes in American Scientist magazine
• Articles by the journalist Sara Robinson
• Computer Science Unplugged – a Computer Science curriculum for pre-university students developed in New Zealand
• CS4FN (Computer Science for Fun) is a magazine on computer science aimed at school students "Explore how computer science is also about people, solving puzzles, creativity, changing the future and, most of all, having fun." It is printed twice a year and has an associated website with additional articles.

Don’t forget: programming goes far beyond just creating web pages, so don’t restrict your reading and practical experimentation to this one area.

• You may like to look at our GeomLab website which will introduce you to some of the most important ideas in computer programming in an interactive, visual way through a guided activity.
• Turtle Java is a graphics programming environment designed to provide an enjoyable introduction to programming in Java syntax, together with a practical insight into fundamental concepts of computer science such as compilation and machine code.
• The Alice system from Carnegie Mellon University provides a point-and-click environment for designing 3-D animations and is a useful introduction to object-oriented programming.
• Elizabeth is an automated conversation and natural language processing program that provides an enjoyable introduction to natural language processing, and that can give insights into some of the fundamental methods and issues of artificial intelligence within an entertaining context.

The Department of Computer Science at Oxford hosts Open Days and events for school-age pupils. These are normally free of charge and range from five-day residential courses to one off Taster Days.

Candidates with offers

The following are suggestions for summer reading once you’ve been offered a place on an Oxford undergraduate Computer Science course (including joint honours courses). You do not necessarily need to purchase these – your local library can probably help, and there will be copies available in your College library once you get to Oxford.

• A functional programming book:
  • Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton. ISBN: 978-0521692694 OR
  • Introduction to Functional Programming using Haskell by Richard Bird (2nd edition). ISBN: 978-0134843469

The first is more accessible but the second covers more areas relevant to the Oxford Computer Science degrees. These books are intended to be challenging so please don’t worry if you find them difficult. Richard Bird’s book is the set text for the Functional Programming course that you will take in your first term: during this course you will have the benefit of tutorials and lectures to help your understanding, not just the text book in isolation.

• A background text on discrete Maths, for example one of these:
  • Discrete Mathematics by Kenneth Ross and Charles Wright (5th edition). ISBN: 978-0130652478
  • Discrete Mathematics by A Chetwynd and P Diggle. ISBN: 978-0340610473
  • Discrete Mathematics for Computing by Peter Grossman (3rd edition). ISBN: 978-0230216112

• A study skills guide:
  • The Sciences Good Study Guide by Andrew Northedge, Jeff Thomas, Andrew Lane and Alice Peasgood. ISBN: 978-0749234113

• Students without Further Maths

Although an A-level in Further Maths is not a requirement for studying Computer Science at Oxford, it is recommended. If you have only studied a single A-level in Maths, it would be helpful for you to do some preparatory work particularly focusing on discrete Maths and logical thinking, before coming up in October. Please see the Maths Bridging document (PDF) , and also the free resources from the Oxford University Mathematical Institute for suggestions. Especially the notes on Induction and Recursion.

• Other useful texts:
  • How to Prove It: A Structured Approach by Daniel Velleman. ISBN: 978-0521446631