Programming Intro

What is Computer Science?

• Computer science is fundamentally about
computational problem solving
For instance: How lock-in patients can
communicate?
What we need to solve problems?
1. Representation. Captures all relevant aspects
of a problem.

Representation
What we need to solve problems?
2. Algorithm. Recipe to solve the problem.
 Algorithms
An algorithm is a finite number of clearly described, unambiguous “doable” steps
that can be systematically followed to produce a desired result for given input in a
finite amount of time.
 Different kind of algorithms

Vincent Formula. A fast algorithm to calculate the Euclid division algorithm

distance between two latitude/longitude points on
an ellipsoid

Diagnostic Algorithms Day of the week

Cool algorithms
 Algorithms and Computers
• Computers can execute instructions very
quickly and reliably without error, algorithms
and computers are a perfect match.
 Algorithm features
• Input. There are zero or more quantities that are
externally provided.
• Output. At least one output is produced.
• Definiteness. Each instruction is clear and
unambiguous.
• Finiteness. If we trace out the instruction of the
algorithm, them for all cases, the algorithm terminates
after a finite number of steps.
• Effectiveness. Every instruction must be basic enough
to be carried out, in principle, by a person using only
pencil and paper. Each operation must be feasible.
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to add two numbers
entered by user.

Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables num1, num2 and sum.
Step 3: Read values num1 and num2.
Step 4: Add num1 and num2 and assign the result to sum.
sum←num1+num2
Step 5: Display sum
Step 6: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find the largest among three
different numbers entered by user.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables a, b and c.
Step 3: Read variables a, b and c.
Step 4: If a>b
If a>c
Display a is the largest number.
Else
Display c is the largest number.
Else
If b>c
Display b is the largest number.
Else
Display c is the greatest number.
Step 5: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find all roots of a quadratic
equation ax2+bx+c=0.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables a, b, c, D, x1, x2, rp and ip;
Step 3: Calculate discriminant
D←b2-4ac
Step 4: If D≥0
r1←(-b+√D)/2a
r2←(-b-√D)/2a
Display r1 and r2 as roots.
Else
Calculate real part and imaginary part
rp←b/2a
ip←√(-D)/2a
Display rp+j(ip) and rp-j(ip) as roots
Step 5: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find all roots of a quadratic
equation ax2+bx+c=0.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables a, b, c, D, x1, x2, rp and ip;
Step 3: Calculate discriminant
D←b2-4ac
Step 4: If D≥0
r1←(-b+√D)/2a
r2←(-b-√D)/2a
Display r1 and r2 as roots.
Else
Calculate real part and imaginary part
rp←b/2a
ip←√(-D)/2a
Display rp+j(ip) and rp-j(ip) as roots
Step 5: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find the factorial of a
number entered by user.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables n,factorial and i.
Step 3: Initialize variables
factorial←1
i←1
Step 4: Read value of n
Step 5: Repeat the steps until i=n
5.1: factorial←factorial*i
5.2: i←i+1
Step 6: Display factorial
Step 7: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find the factorial of a
number entered by user.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables n,factorial and i.
Step 3: Initialize variables
factorial←1
i←1
Step 4: Read value of n
Step 5: Repeat the steps until i=n
5.1: factorial←factorial*i
5.2: i←i+1
Step 6: Display factorial
Step 7: Stop
 Examples of algorithms
• Write an algorithm to find the Fibonacci
series till term≤1000.
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables first_term,second_term and temp.
Step 3: Initialize variables first_term←0 second_term←1
Step 4: Display first_term and second_term
Step 5: Repeat the steps until second_term≤1000
5.1: temp←second_term
5.2: second_term←second_term+first term
5.3: first_term←temp
5.4: Display second_term
Step 6: Stop
 Analysis of algorithms
The theoretical study of computer-program
performance and resource usage.

What’s more important than performance?

• modularity
• correctness
• maintainability
• functionality
• robustness
• user-friendliness
• programmer time
• simplicity
• extensibility
• reliability
 Analysis of algorithms
Why study algorithms and performance?

• Algorithms help us to understand scalability.

• Performance often draws the line between what is feasible

and what is impossible.

• Algorithmic mathematics provides a language for talking

about program behavior.

• The lessons of program performance generalize to other

computing resources.

• Speed is fun!
 Algorithms is about communication
Flow chart is a pictorial representation; algorithm is done through step by step
direction.
 Algorithms and programs

Algorithm is not the

computer code. Algorithm Program is a set of
are just the instructions computer instructions
which gives clear idea to written in a programming
you idea to write the language
computer code.
 Computer Hardware
• All information within a digital computer
system is represented using only two digits, 0
and 1, called binary representation.
 Binary System

The term bit stands for binary digit. A byte is a group of bits operated on as a single
unit in a computer system, usually consisting of eight bits.
Computer Architecture
Operative system
 Computer Software
Computer software is a set of program
instructions, including related data and
documentation, that can be executed by
computer.

The first program

 How do we write computer
instructions?
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Declare variables
first_term,second_term and temp.
Step 3: Initialize variables first_term←0
second_term←1
Step 4: Display first_term and second_term
Step 5: Repeat the steps until ?
second_term≤1000
5.1: temp←second_term
5.2: second_term←second_term+first
term
5.3: first_term←temp
5.4: Display second_term
Step 6: Stop
Programming language
Languages or algorithms
Syntaxis, Semantic and Translation
• The syntax of a language is a set of characters
and the acceptable sequences of those
characters.
Syntaxis, Semantic and Translation
• The semantics of a language is the meaning
associated with each syntactically correct
sequence of characters.
 Program translation

A compiler is a translator program that translates programs directly into machine code
to be executed by the CPU. An interpreter executes program instructions in place of
(“running on top of”) the CPU.
 Errors
• Syntax error: violation of the programming
language rules

• Semantic errors: errors in the meaning

Computational Solving Problem
An example
 Let’s start to program!!
• Create a .py file with your program
• Excecute in python…
 Limits of computational solving
problem

Traveling salesman problem: Find the shortest route of travel for a salesman needing
to visit a given set of cities
Any algorithm that correctly solves a given problem must solve the problem
in a reasonable amount of time, otherwise it is of limited practical use.