Chapter 17 Outcomes

Chapter 17 Outcomes
Problems That Computers Cannot Solve

After completing this chapter and participating in class, you should be able to accomplish each of the following outcomes.

Knowledge Outcomes

Define each of the key terms listed in the chart below.

artificial intelligence	ethical judgement	value judgement
computational complexity	polynomial time	exponential algorithm
heuristic principle	prime factor	encryption of data
value system	privacy	freedom of information
copyright	tree of possibilities	expert systems
inference	knowledge representation	knowledge base
cognitive science

Explain why many problems are not appropriate for solving on a computer specifically:

value judgement problems,
ethical problems, and
problems that involve exponential time factors (e.g. travelling salesman problem).

Describe and/or discuss one or more of the issues which are relevant to Computer Science specifically:

viruses,
producing reliable, and dependable software.

Describe and/or discuss one or more of the problems that computers have generated including:

invasion of privacy,
measuring (in an inhumane manner) the productivity of workers who use computers,
rights and freedoms versus greater control and homogenization,
computerized warfare,
computers in education (enhance or detract from true educational goals), and
loss of productivity in business as a result of computer playing.

Describe and/or discuss one or more of the following topics as it relates to societies use of computer technology:

software piracy,
computer crime (electronic theft of money and data, fraud, hacking and willful destruction of electronic data), and
growing disparity between the "information have's" and the "information have-nots".

Describe and/or discuss one or more of the legal issues arising from the use of computer networks including:

legislating behaviour on the internet (i.e. pornography),
hate crimes and freedom of speech, and
protection of intellectual property and copyright infringement (electronic distribution of documents, audio, and video).

Describe and/or discuss the issues related to repetitive strain injuries as a result of poor ergonomics and long hours in front of a computer.