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001 Programming-Languages-and-Computation

This document discusses programming languages and computation. It introduces programming for artificial intelligence and data science. It defines programming as a set of precise instructions to achieve a specified task written in a particular stylised language. It discusses computation in terms of bits, bytes, and how a computer calculates and stores results based on the instructions provided by a programmer. Finally, it discusses algorithms as a sequence of simple steps with flow control and conditions to stop.

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Bhavesh Jha
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15 views

001 Programming-Languages-and-Computation

This document discusses programming languages and computation. It introduces programming for artificial intelligence and data science. It defines programming as a set of precise instructions to achieve a specified task written in a particular stylised language. It discusses computation in terms of bits, bytes, and how a computer calculates and stores results based on the instructions provided by a programmer. Finally, it discusses algorithms as a sequence of simple steps with flow control and conditions to stop.

Uploaded by

Bhavesh Jha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Programming Languages and Computation

Programming for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science


Objectives
• Primitives of computation
• Python
• Interpreter
• Basic Types
• Operators & Their order
• Variables, assignment, and re-binding
Programming – What is it?

• A precise set of instructions to achieve a specified task


• Written in a particular stylised language
• Analogues There was a
• Cooking : Recipes question on
this in the
• Knitting & Crochet : Pattern Books introduction
• Music : Reading and writing score quiz – this is
why!
• Need to learn the symbols and notation
Computation
• What does a computer do?
• Calculates then stores results
• All data is comprised of bits (0 or 1). Example 0110 0100
• 8 of these bits => Byte. The base unit of storage measurement.
• Modern storage it is common to see 1-3 TeraBytes (TB = 1 x1012 bytes )
• Computation defined by the programmer.
• Computer only does what you tell it.
Can you count Binary?
What is 128 x 1 +
10101000 in 64 x 0 +
• There are 10 people who understand binary: decimal? 32 x 1 +
16 x 0 +
• Those that do and those that don’t 8x1+
4x0+
2x0+
1x0=
------------
168
Computation
• How do we define how to compute something?
• Primitives – Fundamental operations with which everything is constructed.
• Moving something, Arithmetic, Store/Erase, Read
• Alan Turing first described a theoretical system to compute anything
• We’ve since developed more user-friendly building blocks
• If we can compute something in one language, it can be computable in any
other language.
• It’s just a matter of telling the computer what to do!
Computation
• How do we define how to compute something?
• We can construct a sequence of these primitives
• READ 5, ADD 10, STORE => 15
• As a human we can follow this, but how does the computer know?
• An Interpreter is a program which reads the instructions and executes them
in order.
• We can build up complex behaviour, using tests to change the control flow
of our sequence.
• Stops when finished / out of instructions.
Algorithms

• A sequence of simple steps


• A measure of flow control
• Conditional Branching
• Someway to stop
• A condition, or exhaustion.
• Any task you want to do can be accomplished via an algorithm.
Thank you

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