Lecture 1
Introduction to Programming
and Problem Solving
Parts of a Computer System:
Hardware: Electronic Devices
Software: Instructions and Computer
Programs
Hardware
Input : Keyboard, Mouse
System unit:
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Output: Monitor, Printer
Secondary Storage: Disk Drive
Software
Instructions for the hardware.
Actions to be performed
A set of instructions is called a program.
Driving force behind the computer
Without a program – What is a computer?
▪ Collection of Useless Hardware
2 purposes:
Tell the computer what to do
Tell other people what we want the computer to do.
CPU
The central processing unit (CPU)
The “brain” of a computer
Retrieves instructions from memory and
executes them.
Memory (RAM)
Stores data and program instructions for CPU to
execute
A program and its data must be brought to memory
before they can be executed
Stores intermediate and final results of processing.
Volatile:Contents are erased when computer is
turned off or reset.
A memory unit is an ordered sequence of bytes,
each holds eight bits. A byte is the minimum
storage unit. No two data can share or split the
same byte.
Storage Devices
Hard Drives, CDs/DVDs, Flash Drives, etc.
Non-Volatile or Permanent Storage
Programs and data are permanently stored
on storage devices and are moved to memory
when the computer actually uses them.
Computer Language
Digital devices have two stable states, which
are referred to as zero and one by convention
The binary number system has two digits, 0
and 1. A single digit (0 or 1) is called a bit, short
for binary digit. A byte is made up of 8 bits.
Binary Language: Data and instructions
(numbers, characters, strings, etc.) are
encoded as binary numbers - a series of bits
(one or more bytes made up of zeros and ones)
Computer Language (cont.)
Encoding and decoding of data into binary is
performed automatically by the system
based on the encoding scheme
Encoding schemes
Numeric Data: Encoded as binary numbers
Non-Numeric Data: Encoded as binary numbers
using representative code
▪ ASCII – 1 byte per character
▪ Unicode – 2 bytes per character
Binary Number System
Decimal
Base 10, ten digits (0-9)
The position (place) values are integral powers of 10:
100(ones), 101(tens), 102(hundreds), 103(thousands)…
n decimal digits - 10n unique values
Binary
Base 2, two digits (0-1)
The position (place) values are integral powers of 2:
20(1), 21(2), 22(4), 23(8), 24(16), 25(32), 26(64)…
n binary digits - 2n unique values
ASCII Table
Programming Languages
Computers can not use human languages,
and programming in the binary language of
computers is a very difficult, tedious process
Therefore, most programs are written using a
programming language and are converted to
the binary language used by the computer
Three major categories of prog languages:
Machine Language
Assembly Language
High level Language
Machine Language
Natural language of a particular computer
Primitive instructions built into every
computer
The instructions are in the form of binary
code
Any other types of languages must be
translated down to this level
Assembly Languages
English-like Abbreviations used for
operations (Load R1, R8)
Assembly languages were developed to make
programming easier
The computer cannot understand assembly
language - a program called assembler is
used to convert assembly language programs
into machine code
High Level Languages
English-like and easy to learn and program
Common mathematical notation
Total Cost = Price + Tax;
area = 5 * 5 * 3.1415;
Java, C, C++, FORTRAN, VISUAL BASIC,
PASCAL
Compiling Source Code
A program written in a high-level language is called a
source program (or source code). Since a computer cannot
understand a source program. Program called a compiler is
used to translate the source program into a machine
language program called an object program. The object
program is often then linked with other supporting library
code before the object can be executed on the machine.
Source File Compiler Object File Excutable File
Linker
Programming
Programming – the creation of an ordered set of
instructions to solve a problem with a computer.
Only about 100 instructions that the computer
understands - Different programs will just use
these instructions in different orders and
combinations.
The most valuable part of learning to program is
learning how to think about arranging the
sequence of instructions to solve the problem or
carry out the task
Programming Fundamentals: Putting
the Instructions Together
Sequential Processing
A List of Instructions
Conditional Execution
Ifs
Repetition
Looping / Repeating
Stepwise Refinement / Top-Down Design
Breaking Things into Smaller Pieces
Calling Methods / Functions / Procedures / Subroutines
Calling a segment of code located elsewhere
Reuse of previously coded code segment
Methods of Programming
Procedural
Defining set of steps to transform inputs into outputs
Translating steps into code
Constructed as a set of procedures
Each procedure is a set of instructions
Object-Oriented
Defining/utilizing objects to represent real-world entities that
work together to solve problem
Basic O-O Programming Components
▪ Class
▪ Object/Instance
▪ Properties
▪ Methods
Object Oriented Programming
Class
Specifies the definition of a particular kind of object
▪ Its Characteristics : Properties (or Attributes)
▪ Its Behaviors: Methods
Used as blueprint / template to create objects of that type
Object/Instance
A specific instance of a class – an object created using the
Class Definition
All specific instances of the same class share the same
definition
▪ Same Properties – can be modified
▪ Same Methods – can be modified
Class and Object Example
CLASS (ALL DOGS) OBJECT (ONE DOG)
All Instances of Class Dog A particular Instance Could
Have Have
Properties Properties
▪ Name ▪ Name -Spot
▪ Breed ▪ Breed - Pug
▪ Weight ▪ Weight - 10 pounds
▪ Color ▪ Color - Black
Methods Methods
▪ Walk ▪ Walk
▪ Bark ▪ Bark
▪ Jump ▪ Jump
(these can also be modified to fit
a particular dog)
Problem Solving
The process of defining a problem, searching for relevant
information and resources about the problem, and of
discovering, designing, and evaluating the solutions for
further opportunities. Includes:
Finding an Answer to a Question
Figuring out how to Perform a Task
Figure out how to Make Things Work
Not enough to know a particular programming language…
Must be able to problem solve…
Very desirable to be a good Problem Solver in any CIS
discipline.
Polya’s 4 Steps of Problem Solving
U – Understand the Problem
D – Devise a Good Plan to Solve
I – Implement the Plan
E – Evaluate the Solution
Example:
Solving Math Word Problem
Read the Problem: Understand the
description of problem or scenario,
identifying the knowns and unkowns
Decide how to go about solving the problem:
Determine what steps need to be taken to
reach the solution
Solve the Problem: Write the solution
Test the Answer: Make sure the answer is
correct
Solving Computing Problems
In general, when we solve a computing
problem we are taking some inputs,
processing (performing some actions on) the
inputs, and then outputting the solution or
results.
This is the classic view of computer
programming – computation as calculation
Polya’s steps (UDIE) can be very effective
when applied to solving computing problems
Applying Polya’s Problem Solving to Programming
Step 1 - Understand the Problem
What is the Problem to be solved? What is
the unknown? What is the condition? What is
the data? What is needed to solve the
problem? What actions need to take place?
Identify the inputs and outputs
Identify the processes needed to produce the
outputs from the given inputs
Draw a figure. Introduce suitable notation.
Isolate Principle parts of the problem.
Applying Polya’s Problem Solving to Programming
Step 2 - Devise a Plan
Find connections between the knowns and
unknowns.
Simplify: Break the problem into smaller sub-
problems
Design a solution
Make a plan or list of actions to implement
the solution
Algorithm / Flowchart / Psuedocode
Applying Polya’s Problem Solving to Programming
Step 2 - Devise a Plan (cont.)
Algorithm
A FINITE set of clear, executable steps that will eventually
terminate to produce the desired outcome
Logical design used to solve problems – usually a list of
actions required to perform task
Pseudocode
Written like program code but more “English Like” and
doesn’t have to conform to language syntax
Flowchart
Diagram that visually represents the steps to be performed
to arrive at solution.
Applying Polya’s Problem Solving to Programming
Step 3 - Implement the Plan
Implement in a Programming Language
Carry out the plan checking the preliminary
results at each step.
Code A Little Test A lot
Applying Polya’s Problem Solving to Programming
Step 4 - Evaluate the Solution
Run the Code
Check results repeatedly and thoroughly
Use numerous test cases or data sets
Use highly varied test case, including expected as
well as and unexpected cases
Look for new solutions
Is there a better, easier, or more efficient solution
Can other problems be solved using these
techniques?
Summary
U - Read the Problem Statement
Identify the inputs, outputs, and processes
D - Decide how to Solve the Problem
Create an Algorithm / Flowchart / Psuedocode
I - Program the Code
Implement in Programming Language
E - Test the Solution
Run the Code using numerous, varied test cases
Practice
Using Polya’s first 2 steps, understand and devise a solution to the
following problem:
Determine the week’s earnings for an employee
from the hourly pay rate and hours worked for the
week. Report the gross earnings (including
overtime earnings) for the week.
Definitions:
Overtime hours = hours over 40
Overtime pay rate = 1.5 * reg pay rate
More Practice
Using Polya’s first 2 steps, understand and devise a solution to the
following problem:
Determine the week’s earnings for an employee
from the hourly pay rate, total hours for the week
and tax rate. Report the number of reg hours,
overtime hours, gross reg earnings, gross overtime
earnings, tax witheld, and total net earnings for the
week.
Definitions:
Overtime hours = hours over 40
