What is Scientific Computing/Computational Science?

Computation has always been a part of scientific research; however, it is in the last decades of the 20th century that computational science (or scientific computing) has come into its own. The rapid development of computer power and sophisticated computational methodology has permitted the application of high performance computing to simulation and modeling of unprecedented accuracy and scope applied to a wide range of important problems. The applications include automobile under-hood design, new drug discovery, novel materials design, and genetics, with each of these technological achievements adding to the efficiency, health, and quality of life of people throughout the nation.

Computational Science has been called a third branch of science, along with theory and experiment. In truth, it is part theory, part experiment and different from either. Many theoretical problems can only be solved using a high performance computer. But simulation and modeling are much more than simply elaborating pure theories. High performance computing allows the development of sophisticated and detailed theoretical models, which may be tested by comparisons with experiment. Once validated in this manner, the model may be used for predictive simulations.