Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) Programming
Introduction to BASIC Programming
BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a simple and easy-to-learn
programming language.
It is designed to be an excellent starting point for beginners who want to understand programming
and logic.
BASIC helps develop problem-solving skills and introduces key programming concepts that can be
applied to many other languages.
In this document, we will learn the fundamental concepts of BASIC programming, such as variables,
input/output, arithmetic operations,
conditional statements, loops, and how to write simple programs.
Setting Up the Environment
You can start coding in BASIC using online compilers like Replit or other local interpreters.
1. Visit Replit's BASIC interpreter: [https://replit.com/](https://replit.com/).
2. Create a new BASIC project and start writing your code.
It's easy to get started and see results instantly in these environments.
Basic Concepts: Variables, Input, and Output
**Variables:**
In BASIC, a variable is a name used to store a value. You don't need to declare a variable before
using it;
just assign a value to it.
Example:
```basic
LET Age = 10
LET Name$ = "Alice" ' The $ symbol is used for string variables
```
**Input and Output:**
- `INPUT` statement asks for user input.
- `PRINT` statement displays output to the screen.
Example for Input:
```basic
INPUT "Enter your age: ", Age
```
Example for Output:
```basic
PRINT "Hello, "; Name$
```
The `;` symbol allows you to print multiple items in one line.
Arithmetic Operations: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division
**Addition:**
```basic
LET Sum = 5 + 3
PRINT "Sum: "; Sum
```
**Subtraction:**
```basic
LET Difference = 10 - 4
PRINT "Difference: "; Difference
```
**Multiplication:**
```basic
LET Product = 6 * 7
PRINT "Product: "; Product
```
**Division:**
```basic
LET Quotient = 12 / 4
PRINT "Quotient: "; Quotient
```
These are the basic arithmetic operations you can perform in BASIC.
Conditional Statements: IF...THEN...ELSE
**IF...THEN...ELSE:**
This is used to make decisions in the program based on certain conditions.
Example:
```basic
IF Age >= 18 THEN
PRINT "You are an adult."
ELSE
PRINT "You are a minor."
END IF
```
If the condition is true, the code inside `THEN` will execute; otherwise, the `ELSE` part will run.
Loops: FOR...NEXT and WHILE...WEND
**FOR...NEXT Loop:**
Repeats a block of code a specific number of times.
Example:
```basic
FOR I = 1 TO 5
PRINT "This is loop iteration "; I
NEXT I
```
**WHILE...WEND Loop:**
Repeats a block of code while a condition is true.
Example:
```basic
LET Counter = 1
WHILE Counter <= 5
PRINT "Counter is "; Counter
LET Counter = Counter + 1
WEND
```
Loops are useful when you need to repeat tasks multiple times.
Functions and Procedures
**Defining a Function:**
Functions are used to perform specific tasks and return values.
Example:
```basic
DEF FN Square(X) = X * X
LET Result = FN Square(4)
PRINT "The square of 4 is "; Result
```
This function calculates the square of a number.
Practical Examples
**Example 1: Simple Calculator**
```basic
INPUT "Enter first number: ", Num1
INPUT "Enter second number: ", Num2
LET Sum = Num1 + Num2
LET Difference = Num1 - Num2
LET Product = Num1 * Num2
LET Quotient = Num1 / Num2
PRINT "Sum: "; Sum
PRINT "Difference: "; Difference
PRINT "Product: "; Product
PRINT "Quotient: "; Quotient
```
**Example 2: Age Checker**
```basic
INPUT "Enter your age: ", Age
IF Age >= 18 THEN
PRINT "You are an adult."
ELSE
PRINT "You are a minor."
END IF
```
**Example 3: Multiplication Table**
```basic
INPUT "Enter a number: ", Number
FOR I = 1 TO 10
LET Result = Number * I
PRINT Number; " x "; I; " = "; Result
NEXT I
```
**Example 4: Counting Down**
```basic
LET Counter = 10
WHILE Counter >= 1
PRINT "Countdown: "; Counter
LET Counter = Counter - 1
WEND
```
**Example 5: Simple Interest Calculator**
```basic
INPUT "Enter principal amount: ", Principal
INPUT "Enter rate of interest: ", Rate
INPUT "Enter time in years: ", Time
LET Interest = (Principal * Rate * Time) / 100
PRINT "Simple Interest: "; Interest
```
