Foundations of Computer Science: From Data Manipulation to Theory of Computation successfully provides students with an overview of the many specializations within the field of computer science. Although many incoming freshman students are familiar with computers, they are often unaware of the broad field of computer science beyond the task of programming. Behrouz Forouzan has developed a five-part approach to introduce students to different aspects of the discipline without overwhelming them with technical detail. These topics include computer and data, computer hardware, computer software, data organization, and advanced topics. Throughout the book, Forouzan emphasizes the concept rather than the mathematical model, and difficult topics are supplemented with visual aids as needed to help students grasp concepts.

In this introductory text, students will overview the many disciplines within computer science, with an emphasis on concepts rather than on mathematical models and technical details. Understanding is increased with some 300 figures, and with examples that demonstrate concepts and mathematical models. Learning features include key terms, summaries, review questions, and exercises. Material is organized in sections on the computer and data, computer hardware, software, data organization, and advanced topics such as data compression and security. The author is affiliated with De Anza College.
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Richard F. Gilberg has more than 40 years of computer science experience in industry and academia. His industrial experience includes the development of large application systems, database administration, system testing, and data administration. After leaving the industry, he joined De Anza College as a professor of computer science. In addition to this text, he has also co-authored several others including Computer Science: A Structured Approach Using C, Computer Science: A Structured Approach Using C++, and Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach with C++.Behrouz A. Forouzan has more than 32 years of electronics and computer science experience in industry and academia. His industry experience includes designing electronic systems. After leaving the industry, he joined De Anza College as a professor of computer science. In addition to this text, he has authored and co-authored nine other textbooks including: Computer Science: A Structured Approach Using C, Computer Science: A Structured Approach Using C++, and Data Structures: A Pseudocode Approach with C++.

Part 1: Computer and Data 1. Introduction 2. Data Representation 3. Representing Numbers 4. Operation on Bits Part 2: Computer Hardware 5. Computer Organization 6. Computer Networks Part 3: Computer Software 7. Operating Systems 8. Algorithms 9. Programming Languages 10. Software Engineering Part 4: Data Organization 11. Data Structures 12. Abstract Data Type 13. File Structure 14. Database Structure Part 5: Advanced Topics 15. Data Compression 16. Security 17. Theory of Computation Appendices A: ASCII Code B: Unicode C: Flowchart: Auxiliary Symbols / Main Symbols E: Structure Charts: Structure Chart Symbols / Reading Structure Charts / Rules of Structure Charts F: Discrete Cosine Transform: Discrete Cosine Transform / Inverse Transform