Introduction to HTML in Computer Science

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HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is a fundamental part of computer science and is used to create and structure content on the internet. It is the language behind every website and is used to mark and define the different elements that make up a webpage. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive introduction to HTML, its purpose, and how it is used in computer science.

Purpose of HTML

HTML was first developed in 1993 by Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, and since then it has been the go-to language for creating websites. HTML is based on a logical structure and is used to create the basic foundation of a webpage. Its main purpose is to define the structure and content of a webpage, making it easier for browsers to interpret the information and display it to the user.

HTML is also responsible for linking different webpages together, creating the hypertext structure that the internet is known for. It allows users to navigate from one webpage to another through hyperlinks, making the browsing experience seamless.

Components of HTML

HTML is composed of various elements, each with a specific purpose. These elements are enclosed in tags, which are used to mark the beginning and end of an element. Tags are surrounded by angle brackets, for example, and , and can contain attributes that provide additional information about the element. Let’s take a look at some of the essential elements in HTML.

1. – This is the root element of an HTML document and encapsulates all the other elements.

2. – This element contains information about the webpage, such as its title, and is not directly displayed to the user.

3. – This element specifies the title of the webpage, which appears on the browser’s tab.</p> <p>4. <body> – This element contains all the content that is displayed to the user, such as text, images, videos, etc.</p> <p>5. </p> <h1> to </p> <h6> – These elements are used to create headings of different sizes, with </p> <h1> being the largest and </p> <h6> being the smallest.</p> <p>6. </p> <p> – This element is used to denote a paragraph of text.</p> <p>7. </p> <ul> and </p> <ol> – These elements are used to create unordered and ordered lists, respectively.</p> <p>8. <a> – This element is used to create hyperlinks to other webpages or files.</p> <p>Applications of HTML in Computer Science</p> <p>HTML is a vital component of computer science, and it is used in various applications such as web development, data visualization, and web scraping.</p> <p>1. Web Development – HTML is the core language used to create webpages. It provides a basic structure for websites and is often combined with other programming languages such as CSS and JavaScript to enhance the design and functionality.</p> <p>2. Data Visualization – HTML is also used in data visualization to create interactive and dynamic visualizations on the web. It is often combined with CSS and JavaScript to create engaging and informative data representations.</p> <p>3. Web Scraping – HTML is used in web scraping, which is the process of extracting data from websites. Web developers and data analysts use HTML to identify and extract specific data from webpages for analysis and decision-making.</p> <p>Practical Examples</p> <p>Let’s take a look at some practical examples of how HTML is used in computer science.</p> <p>Example 1:</p> <p><!DOCTYPE html><br /> <html><br /> <head><br /> <title>My Website

Welcome to my website!

This is a paragraph of text.

Click here

In this example, we have created a basic webpage that displays a heading, paragraph, and a hyperlink.

Example 2:




Data Visualization

Population by Country




In this example, we have used HTML along with JavaScript and a charting library called Chart.js to create a bar graph showing the population of the top five countries in the world.

Conclusion

In conclusion, HTML is a critical component of computer science that is used to create and structure content on the internet. Its purpose is to define the structure and content of a webpage, and it is used in various applications, such as web development and data visualization. With its logical structure and practical examples, HTML is the backbone of the internet and will continue to play a significant role in the field of computer science.