Introduction to Programming- SE1133
Lecture 3 – Intro to Programming
Asia Shahab
Previous Lecture Summary
• Introduction to Computers
• Components of a Computer
• Storage Devices
• Register Memory
• System Software
• Application Software
What is a Computer??
• A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability
to store, retrieve, and process data.
• Computer is an electronic device that takes raw data as an input from the user and processes
it under the control of a set of instructions (called program), produces a result (output), and
saves it for future use.
• A computer is a machine or device that performs processes, calculations and operations based
on instructions provided by a software or hardware program. It has the ability to accept data
(input), process it, and then produce outputs.
Cont…
• Computers are electronic devices that can follow instructions to
• Accept input
• Process that input
• Produce information
• Alternatively, a computer is a device capable of performing calculations and making
logical decisions at speeds millions, and even billions, of times faster than human
beings can.
Instructions
A Computer Results
System
Data
Computer Instructions and Programs
Instruction:
A computer instruction is a command or directive/instruction given to a
computer to perform specific task.
Examples: Add 2 and 5, Print “Hello World”
Program:
A program is sequence of instructions written in programming language that
directs a computer to solve a problem
Examples: Draw a square, etc.
Cont…
Program “Draw a square”
1 – Draw a vertical line of length n inches
2 – Draw a horizontal line of n inches
3– Draw a vertical line of length n inches
4 – Draw a horizontal line of n inches
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Computer Software System
Application Programs
(.cpp, .c, .java,)
Compilers / Libraries
(C++, C, Java)
Operating Systems
(Windows, Linux, MAC, Solaris)
Computer Hardware
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Programming Languages
Classification of programming languages:
1. Machine language
2. Low-level languages
3. High-level languages
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1. Machine level languages
A computer understands only sequence of bits or 1’s and 0’s
A computer program can be written using machine languages
(01001101010010010….)
• Very fast execution
• Very difficult to write and debug
• Machine specific (different codes on different machines)
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2. Low level languages
• English encrypted words instead of codes (1’s and 0’s)
• Requires: “Translation”/Assembler from Assembly code to
Machine code
• More understandable (for humans) i.e. Assembly language
Assembly Code Machine Code
compare: 1001010101001101
cmpl #oxa,n 1110010110010100
Assembler
cgt 0101010111010010
end_of_loop 0110100110111011
acddl #0x1,n 1101100101010101
end_of_loop:
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3. High level languages
• Mostly machine independent
• Close to natural language (English like language keywords)
• Easy to write and understand
• Easy to debug and maintain code
• Requires compilers to translate into machine code
• Examples: Java, C++, Python etc.
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Problem Solving Steps
1. Understand the problem
2. Plan the logic
3. Code the program
4. Test the program
5. Deploy the program into production
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1. Understanding the Problem
• Problems are often described in natural language like English.
• Users may not be able to specify needs well, or the needs may changing frequently
• Identify the requirements
1. Inputs or given data-items
2. Required output(s) or desired results
3. Indirect inputs (may not be given directly, you have to calculate or assume)
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1. Understanding the Problem
Example: Calculate the area of a circle having the radius of 3 cm
• Inputs: Radius=3
• Output: Area
• Indirect Inputs: Pi=3.14
Area = pi r^2
3.14 * (3*3) = 28.27
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2. Plan the Logic
• Identify/Outline small steps in sequence, to achieve the goal (or
desired results)
• Tools such as flowcharts and pseudocode can be used:
• Flowchart: a pictorial representation of the logic steps
• Pseudocode: English-like representation of the logic
• Walk through the logic before coding
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3. Code the Program
Code the program:
• Select the programming language
• Write the program instructions in the selected programming language
• Use the compiler software to translate the program into machine
understandable code or executable file (i.e. .cpp)
• Syntax errors (Error in program instructions) are identified by the
compiler during compilation and can be corrected.
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4. Test the Program
Testing the program
• Execute it with sample data and check the results
• Identify logic errors if any (undesired results or output) and correct
them
• Choose test data carefully to exercise all branches of the logic
(Important)
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5. Deploy the Program
Putting the program into production
• Do this after testing is complete and all known errors
have been corrected
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Introduction to Pseudocode
• One of the popular representation based on natural language/
English like statements
• Easy to read and write
• Allow the programmer to concentrate on the logic of the
problem
• Structured in English language (Syntax/grammar)
• Each instruction is written on a separate line
• Written from top to bottom, with only one entry and one
exit
Cont…
Example: Calculate the area of a circle having the radius of
3 cm
Pseudocode:
• Get radius of a circle
• Calculate Area
• Display Area
Flowcharts
• “A graphic representation of a sequence of operations to
represent a computer program”
• Flowcharts show the sequence of instructions in a single
program.
Flowchart Symbols
Name Symbol Description
Oval Beginning or End of the Program
Parallelogram Input/Output Operations
Rectangle Processing for example, Addition,
Multiplication, Division, etc.
Denotes Decision (or branching)
Diamond
for example IF-Then-Else
Arrow Denotes Direction of logic flow
Flowchart
Example: Calculate the area of a • START
circle having the radius of 3 cm.
Input
Radius (r)
Calculate Area =
3.14 * r * r
Display
Area
END
Summary
• What Is Computer?
• Computer Instructions and Programs
• Programming Languages
• Problem Solving Steps
• Pseudocode
• Flowcharts
