informatics/computer science

I'd say computer science.

CJ

so when can I use the word informatics?

Hi,

Never?

It's not a common term at all. I never read or hear it. I even had to look in my dictionary to confirm

Hmmmmmm
In Italy, there is "Ingegneria Informatica", and that's "Computer Science" in English I guess.
But there is also "Informatica", which is not part of engineering. I guess that would be translated as "Informatics". -->

Informatics exist in English, it's just that I don't know exactly what it is. The contents of the courses vary from university to university, so...

Newguestso when can I use the word informatics?

Informatics includes the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Back home in Philippines, we have a school name Informatics..

Hope it helps.

The only use of informatics in AmE that I know of is in the compound bioinformatics, the application of computer science to the study of biological phenomena, especially DNA sequencing.

CJ

Well, I don't know how much it is used, but I think it is used by the people who want to distinguish computer science and other fields that are similar but... are not the same. The University of California, Irvine, has a Department of Informatics, for example (http://www.ics.u

Terminology may be undergoing changes. These things sweep through like fads. Now it appears that the parts of computer science more related to software than to hardware are being labeled informatics by some institutions. Nevertheless, until the new terminology is solidly established, it's probably better to stick to the term computer science.

CJ

Well, yeah. In Italy, "informatica" has a lot of meanings. Most people think that informatica = computers, period. However, there is a distinction, and university courses (in Italy) make that distinction. A computer science student studies much more electronics and physics than an informatics student, as faras I know. Computer science is part of engineering, informatics is part of another faculty

Hi guys,

So, obviously, it also depends on who you are speaking to. In everyday English outside computer circles, you certainly won't hear the word 'informatics' used much, and probably not at all. As I said, I even had to look it up to be sure it was a dictionary word.

Clive