Computational science should not be confused with computer science.
Computer science is the study of algorithms, languages, and machines for solving problems.
It is related to, but distinct from, computer engineering, which focuses on the design and construction of computing machines. Computational science focuses on a scientific or engineering problem and draws from computer science and mathematics to gain an improved understanding of the problem area. Even though computational science is quite distinct from most present day computer science, many of the topics typically considered to be in the domain of computer science are of much value to the computational scientist. For example, when choosing a numerical algorithm to map to a particular computer architecture, the computational scientist must be aware of fundamental issues from areas such as data structures and software design. The first requirement of a computational scientist is to have command of an applied discipline.