You know computers. But do you know computer science?Computer science is the study of computing: it's how we figure out what computers can do and how to make them do it as efficiently as possible. Once we know what to tell the computer, a programmer figures out how to write the instructions.In this book, you'll learn how we create hardware and software that does what we want. How to create algorithms and data structures that allow us to solve problems efficiently. How computers count, store information, and talk to each other.Written for the teen programmer, this book can be used as the textbook in a high school computer science class or for independent self-study. When you finish it, you'll be ready to move on to a computer science degree or simply apply the lessons learned to become a better programmer.