230 likes | 255 Views
Computer Science 111. Fundamentals of Programming I Introduction. Links to Course Stuff. Course page home.wlu.edu/~lambertk/classes/111 Sakai (projects, quizzes, grades) sakai.wlu.edu. What Is Computer Science?. The study of computers (concrete artifacts) and their uses
E N D
Computer Science 111 Fundamentals of Programming I Introduction
Links to Course Stuff Course page home.wlu.edu/~lambertk/classes/111 Sakai (projects, quizzes, grades) sakai.wlu.edu
What Is Computer Science? • The study of computers (concrete artifacts) and their uses • The study of computing (abstract processes) • The study of what can be computed (automated solutions to problems)
Apollo 11 Project (1960s) Margaret Hamilton, director of software engineering at NASA
Three Fundamental Ideas of CS • Information processing • Algorithms • Automation
Information Processing Began over 2500 years ago with the invention of writing in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece • Rhetoric: use of symbols in ordinary writing • Mathematics: use of symbols to represent abstract systems of ideas and chains of reasoning • Computing: automatic symbolic information processing
An Algorithm Is . . . • A description of a series of steps that leads to the solution of a problem • Examples: • Make a pizza from scratch • Give directions to the soccer field • Change a flat tire on an automobile
Example: Make Pancakes • Beat two eggs • Add 2 Tb. brown sugar • Add 1/2 cup of milk • Add 1 Tb. melted butter • Add 1 cup self-rising flour • Pour batter onto griddle and cook until done
Automation • If we can design an algorithm to solve a problem . . . • . . . then we can (in principle) build a real computer to automate the solution
A Universal Machine • Some computers are highly specialized, others are general purpose • A general purpose computer can (in principle) automate the solution of any algorithmic problem
Algorithms and Programs • Algorithms are abstract ideas, pure thought-stuff • Programs express algorithms in particular programming languages, such as • Basic • FORTRAN • C++ • Java • Python • Lisp
Programs and Computing • A stored program computer can be reused for many different types of problems • Build a general-purpose computer once and then build specialized solutions as needed
Hardware and Software • Hardware consists of the devices - microphones, speakers, processor, and memory storage - necessary to run any programs • Software consists of programs used to solve problems, including the processing of other programs
For Monday Read Chapter 1 of the textbook and start Chapter 2