Donald Knuth - Science Quotes

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Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.

Donald Knuth

I can't be as confident about computer science as I can about biology. Biology easily has 500 years of exciting problems to work on. It's at that level.

Donald Knuth

Trees sprout up just about everywhere in computer science...

Donald Knuth

Science is knowledge which we understand so well that we can teach it to a computer; and if we don't fully understand something, it is an art to deal with it.

Donald Knuth

In this sense, we should continually be striving to transform every art into a science: in the process, we advance the art.

Donald Knuth

The difference between art and science is that science is what people understand well enough to explain to a computer. All else is art.

Donald Knuth

I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one's contributions to computer science.

Donald Knuth