ASTU

CSEg 1101 Introduction to Computing

Lecture 1

2022/23

Computer Science & Engineering Program

The School of EE & Computing
Adama Science & Technology University
OUTLINE ASTU

Goals of the course

What is computation ?
Computational thinking
About Python
2D robot control

Reading assignment:
Chapter 1 of the textbook
Learning programming with robots
(You may download the PDF file on Hisnet site)

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GOALS OF THE COURSE ASTU

Two-level goals
- Building up a basis on ICT (Information and
Communications Technology)
- Computational thinking and programming
(but not learning a programming language Python)

Think like a computer scientist for problem solving !

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 WHAT IS COMPUTATION ? ASTU

Problem solving with computer

- Finding the facts that a solution satisfies

- Designing an algorithm(recipe) to find the solution
- Mapping the algorithm to a program
- Understanding abilities and limitations

“Algorithm” is at the heart! -

- Efficient good method to solve the problem !
- 1+ 2+ 3+ 4 + 5+ 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 +10 = ?
Method 1: 1+ 2+ 3+ 4 + 5+ 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 = 55
Method 2: n(n+1)/2 = 10*(10+1)/2 = 10 * 11/2 = 110/2 =55

- It saves computing time..

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9 times of computing versus 3 times of computing
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Knowledge

Declarative Imperative

Statement of facts Recipes for deducing information

“How to” knowledge

is y such that Start with guess G.

is x. Ifx, stop and return G.
Otherwise, G (G + x/G )/2.
Repeat.

Heron of Alexandria(10-70 AD)

Ancient Babylonians

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Problem is “finding y value”

-----> G**2 = x
19.99878

Guess G,
ex) x= 20, G=4

round G G**2 ≈ x status

1 4 4**2=16 20 fail
2 4.5 =(4+20/4)/2 4.5**2=20.25 20 fail
=(4.5+20/4.5)/
3 4.47222 4.472**2= 19.9988 20 TRUE 6
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 Fixed program computers ASTU

• Atanasoff and Berry(1941): a linear equation solver

- The Atanasoff–Berry computer (ABC) was the first
automatic electronic digital computer,
- an early electronic digital computing device

• Alan Turing: bombe machine

• Calculators

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Fixed program computers ASTU

Atanasoff and Berry(1941): a linear equation solver

• The Atanasoff–
Berry computer
(ABC) was the
first automatic
electronic digital
computer,

• An early
electronic digital
computing device
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 Fixed program computers ASTU

Alan Turing: bombe machine

. The bombe was an electromechanical device used by British
cryptologists to help decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted secret
messages during World War II

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Stored program computers

Memory
Data Program
Instruction 1
Instruction 2
………………
Instruction k
………………
Instruction N

Processor

Input Output
Control unit ALU

PC k

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Computation

Computation is solving a problem with a program.

A program is a realization of an algorithm(recipe)

on a computer.

An algorithm is a sequence of instructions to do a task.

imperative knowledge
(for humans)
An algorithm should be refined enough to be easily
translated into a programming language.
(for computers) 11
COMPUTATIONAL THINKING ASTU

How to design an algorithm : top-down design

How to convert it to a program: coding and debugging
What to do with computers ?

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Top-down design
Decomposing a problem into smaller sub-problems

Decompose each of the smaller sub-problems

recursively until every sub-problem is simple enough
to map to a few instructions in a program language

Multi-level abstraction
Divide and conquer

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Coding and debugging

Coding is “a process of fighting with bugs (errors).”

- Syntax error: Python cannot understand your program,

and refuses to execute it.
- Runtime error: At runtime, your program suddenly
terminates with an error message.
- Semantic error: Your program runs without error
messages, but does not do what it is supposed to do.

Why making such bugs (errors) ?

- Well, … , that is the difference between humans and
computers.
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What to do with computers?

According to Turing-Church Thesis (in 1936),

modern computers are essentially equivalent to
a stored program computer.

What kind of problems can we solve with a stored program

machine ?
Decidable problems
Tractable problems : good algorithms
Intractable problems: no good algorithms
e.g., travelling salesman’s problem
approximate algorithms
Undecidable problems: no algorithms ever found
e.g. halting problem 15
ABOUT PYTHON ASTU

Low level Lang. vs High level Lang.

General vs Targeted
Compiled vs Interpreted

Python is relatively young but one of the most popular

programming languages

Open software

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 ABOUT PYTHON ASTU

• Guido van Rossum, Python's principal author

• Employed by Google during 2005 ~ 2012,
where developing the Python language.
• 2001 Award for the Advancement of
Free Software
• Open Source
• multi-paradigm programming language:
- object-oriented programming and
- structured programming
• Since 2003, Python has consistently ranked
in the top 10 most popular programming languages
• As of September 2015, it is in the fifth position.
• It was ranked as Programming Language of the Year for the
year 2007 and 2010 17
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Why Python ?
A programming language easy to learn and very powerful
- Used in many universities for introductory courses
- Main language used for web programming at Google
- Widely used in scientific computation, e.g., at NASA

- Large portions of games written in Python (Civilization IV)

Once you learnt programming in one language,

it is relatively easy to learn another language, such as C++ or

Java. 18
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Characteristics of Python

Instruction set
Arithmetic and logical operations for defining
+, -, *, /, and ** expressions
and, or, not
Assignment
Conditionals
Iterations
Input/output

No pointers
No declarations

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Why programming ?

Every scientist and engineer must know some programming.

It is part of basic education, like calculus, linear algebra, introductory
physics and chemistry, or English.
Alan Perlis 1961

After half a century later, we should change it as follows:

Every student in a university should learn some programming.

It is part of basic education, like calculus, linear algebra, introductory
physics and chemistry, or English.

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 2D ROBOT CONTROL ASTU

A small grid-like 2D world

Basic actions
move (): moving one grid forward
turn_left (): turning left by 90
pick_beeper(): pick ing up beepers
drop_beeper(): putting down beepers
Ourowninstructions:functions
Comments

Interactive mode
Python programs (scripts)
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Integrative mode

>>>from cs1robots import *

>>>create_world()
>>>hubo = Robot()
>>>hubo.move()
>>>hubo.turn_left()
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Script mode

from cs1robots import *

create_world()
hubo = Robot()
hubo.move()
hubo.turn_left()

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Functions
A function definition specifies the name of a function
and the sequence of statements that are executed when
the function is called.
def print_message():
print("CSE1061 is fantastic!")
print("Programming is fun!")
Key word
You can call a function inside another function:
def repeat_message():
print_message()
colon
print_message()

Indentation
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Flow of execution

def print_message():
print("CSE1061 is fantastic!")
print("Programming is so much fun")
function definitions
def repeat_message():
print_message()
print message()
repeat_message() function calls
print(‘Done’)

Execution begins at the first statement. Statements are executed

one by one, top to bottom.
Function definitions do not change the flow of execution
but only define a function.
Function calls are like detours in the flow of execution.
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Comments

# create a robot with one beeper

hubo = Robot(beepers = 1)

# move one step forward

hubo.move()
dot notation
# turn left 90 degrees
hubo.turn_left()

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Turning right

Define a
function!
def turn_right():
hubo.turn_left()
hubo.turn_left()
hubo.turn_left()

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Newspaper delivery

Hubo should climb the stairs to the front door, drop

a newspaper there, and return to his starting point.

Algorithm(pseudo code): Python version:

Climb up four stairs climb_up_four_stairs()
Drop the newspaper hubo.drop_beeper()
Turn around turn_around()
Climb down four stairs climb_down_four_stairs() 28
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Climbing up stairs
def climb_up_four_stairs():
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()

def climb_up_one_stair():
hubo.turn_left()
hubo.move()
turn_right()
hubo.move()
hubo.move()
def turn_around():
hubo.turn_left() 29
hubo.turn_left()
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Iteration: for-loops

We should avoid writing the same code repeatedly.

A for-loop allows us to write it more elegantly:

def climb_up_four_stairs():
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()
climb_up_one_stair()

def climb_up_four_stairs():
for i in range(4):
climb_up_one_stair()

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To repeat the same instruction 4

times:
for i in range(4): for-
loop
print("CSE1061 is fantastic!")

Don’t forget the indentation!

What is the difference between the following

two programs?
for i in range(4):
print(" CSE1061 is great!")
print("I love programming!")
for i in range(4):
print(" CSE1061 is great!")
print("I love programming!")
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