Introduction to Algorithms &

Programming
Steve James
Lecture 7
Python to C++

RECAP
 Summary so far
• C++ is compiled
– Python is interpreted
• C++ variables have fixed types (static)
– Python variables can change types (dynamic)
• Whitespace in C++ is not important
– Indentation is important in Python
• C++ starts executing code in the main function
– Python executes the first line of code it sees
 Type Examples
Python
Values
Name Keyword Kind Example Literals Equivale
Allowed
nt
Boolean bool Built-in True or true, false bool
false
Character char Built-in A single ‘a’, ‘x’, ‘9’, ‘\n’ str
character
Integer int Built-in Integers 0, -1, 2145, 0xa3 int
(also within
short/long) some range
Floating- double Built-in Real-valued 1.2, -0.6, .3, .6F, float
point (also float) numbers 1.4e10
within
some range
and to
some
precision
String string Standard Sequence “SaltBae”, str
library of “Hello there\n”
characters
C++

VARIABLES
 Declaration
• For variables, need type and name
– int x;
– double y; USE AT DECLARATION
– string someMeaningfulName; TIME ONLY

• “This thing exists here – make memory for it!”

• Uninitialised: unknown/undefined value

 Initialisation
• Optional
• Assign value to variable at point of declaration
• “Here’s the initial value for this thing”
– int x = 42;
– double y = 2.45824406892
– string someMeaningfulName = “Pogba’s Haircuts”;
• Uses equal sign; LHS gets value of RHS
 Assignment
• Set value of variable after
declaration/initialisation
• Use equal sign; LHS gets the value of RHS

– int x;
– x = 42;
– int y = 23;
– x = y;
 Finally
• Must declare a variable before we use it

int x = y + 2; //WTF is y?!

int y = 20; //Too late! We needed it for the previous line

• Do not work with uninitialised variables

int y;
int x = y + 2; //y has an undefined value. What's undefined + 2?!
y = 20; //Too late! We needed it for the previous line
C++

BASIC INPUT/OUTPUT
 Input/Output
• Consider code that inputs a user’s first name and then displays the user’s first
name with a message

//Program demonstrates how to input and output data

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(){
string firstName; //string variable declaration
cin >> firstName;
cout << "Hello, " << firstName << endl; //output message and name
return 0;
}

• Several literals/values can be output by a single statement

• We read into variable firstName of type string
– Reads until whitespace (e.g. space, newline, tab) is seen (i.e. a single word)
 String Input
• Consider code that asks the user to input their first name and surname and then
displays the user’s full name with a message

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(){
string firstName;
string surname;
cout << "Please enter your first and surname" << endl;
cin >> firstName >> surname; //input first name and surname
string fullName = firstName + " " + surname; //concatenate strings
cout << "Hello, " << fullName << endl; //output message and name
return 0;
}
 Integer Input
• Consider code that asks the user to input their first name and year of birth and
then displays the user’s first name and age

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(){
string firstName;
cout << "Please enter your first name" << endl;
cin >> firstName; //input first name
int yearOfBirth;
cout << "Please enter your year of birth" << endl;
cin >> yearOfBirth;
int age = 2018 - yearOfBirth;
cout << "Hello, " << firstName << endl; //output message and name
cout << "Your age is " << age << endl; //output message and age
return 0;
}
 Integers and Strings
Integers Strings
• cin >> reads a number • cin >> reads a string
• cout << write • cout << write
• + adds • + concatenates
• - subtracts • - is an error
• … • …

The type of a variable determines which operations are valid and what their meanings are
for that type (“overloading” or “operator overloading”).
 Aside: namespace
• A way to differentiate names of
variables/functions
• All functions provided by C++ lives in the standard
namespace (std)
– e.g. sqrt

• You can therefore create own sqrt function

whose name won’t conflict with std::sqrt
• By default, we will specify always using std
– Otherwise would have to write std::cout, std::cin, etc
C++

OPERATORS
 Built-in Operators

Add/subtract
{
} Arithmetic

Input/output
{
} x += n is
shorthand
for
x=x+n

} Equalities/in-
equalities
 Built-in Operators
bool x = true; //x assigned to true
string s = "Hello"; //s assigned to Hello
s = s + " world"; //s assigned to Hello world (concat)
int x = 5;
x++; //x now equals 6
int y = 7;
bool isEqual = (x == y);
int rem = y % x; //rem is the remainder of y divided by x
int number;
cin >> number; // read an integer into a number
cout << rem; //print out remainder
double z = y; //assign z the current value of y
z *= 3; //equivalent to z = z * 3;
More Built-in Operators
 AND/OR Operators
• e.g. 10 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 20 can be written as
10 <= x && x <=20

• Note that && and || are short-circuit

operators:
– If the answer can be proved after evaluating the
first condition, the second condition is not
evaluated!
 Rules of Precedence
Precedence Operator/ Evaluation
Operation
Level Symbol Direction

0 (first) () parentheses Inner ones

evaluated first
Left-to-right
1 (unary) -, ! negation (unary Right-to-left
minus/NOT)
2 *, /, % product, division, modulus Left-to-right

3 +, - addition, subtraction Left-to-right

4 <=, <, >, >= less than or equal, less Left-to-right

than, greater than, greater
than or equal
5 ==, != equivalent to, not Left-to-right
equivalent to
6 && logical AND Left-to-right

7 || logical OR Left-to-right

8 = assignment Right-to-left
C++

IF-STATEMENTS
 General Form
• Python
if <exp>:
# do something
else:
# do something else
Must have round brackets

• C++ Curly brackets, not colon

and indentation
if (<exp>){
// do something
}
else{
//do something else
}
 The if/elif/else Construct
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
grade = int(input()) int main(){
int grade;
if grade >= 75:
cin >> grade;
print("A") if (grade >= 75){
elif grade >= 70: cout << "A" << endl;
print("B") }
elif grade >= 60: else if (grade >= 70){
print("C") cout << "B" << endl;
elif grade >= 50: }
print("D") else if (grade >= 60){
cout << "C" << endl;
else:
}
print("F") else if (grade >= 50){
cout << "D" << endl;
}
else{
cout << "F" << endl;
}
return 0;
}
 Nested if
num = int(input())
if num % 2 == 0:
if num % 3 == 0:
print("Div by 2 and 3")
else:
print("Div by 2; not by 3")
else:
if num % 3 == 0:
print ("Div by 3; not by 2")
else:
print ("Not div by 2 and 3")
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main(){
int num;
cin >> num;
if (num % 2 == 0){
if (num % 3 == 0){
cout << "Div by 2 and 3" << endl;
}
else{
cout << "Div by 2; not by 3" << endl;
}
}
else{
if (num % 3 == 0){
cout << "Div by 3; not by 2" << endl;
}
else{
cout << "Not div by 2 and 3" << endl;
}
}
return 0;
}
 Related: Switch-case
• Switch statement
– Shortcut for doing if statements checking possible
constant values (e.g. days of week, etc)

• Please look up here:

– http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/control/
– (last section)
C++

LOOPS
 While Loop General Form
• Python
while <exp>:
# statement 1
# statement 2

• C++ Must have round brackets Curly brackets, not colon

and indentation

while (<exp>){
// statement 1
// statement 2
}
 While Loops
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main(){
int passes = 0;
passes = 0 int fails = 0;
failures = 0 int n_students = 0;
n_students = 0 int mark;
while n_students < 10: while (n_students < 10){
mark = int(input()) cin >> mark;
if mark >= 50: if (mark >= 50){
passes = passes + 1 passes = passes + 1;
else: }
failures = failures + 1 else{
n_students = n_students + 1 fails = fails + 1;
print("Passes", passes) }
print("Failures", failures) n_students = n_students + 1;
}
cout << "Passes " << passes << endl;
cout << "Fails " << fails << endl;
return 0;
}
 For Loop General Form
• Python
for i in range(start, stop, step):
# statement 1
# statement 2

• C++ Initialisation Termination Update

for (int i = start; i < stop; i = i + step){

// statement 1
// statement 2
}
 for (<exp_1>; <exp_2>; <exp_3>){
// loop body
}

• <exp_1> initialises control variable

• <exp_2> is termination condition
• <exp_3> changes control variable
– executed after loop body
• All expressions are optional
– if <exp_2> not provided, we always enter the
loop body
• Semicolons are NOT optional
 For Loops
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main(){
int passes = 0;
passes = 0 int fails = 0;
failures = 0 int mark;
for n in range(10): for (int n = 0; n < 10; ++n){
mark = int(input()) cin >> mark;
if mark >= 50: if (mark >= 50){
passes = passes + 1 passes = passes + 1;
else: }
failures = failures + 1 else{
print("Passes", passes) fails = fails + 1;
print("Failures", failures) }
}
cout << "Passes " << passes << endl;
cout << "Fails " << fails << endl;
return 0;
}
 Break/Continue
• Break and continue statements
– Exactly the same as Python!

for (int i = 3; i < 20; ++i){

for i in range(3, 20): if (i == 7){
if i == 7: continue;
continue }
print(i) cout << i << endl;
}
 Do/while loop

For
goto While
loop loop
 Do/While Loop
• First execute the loop body, then check the
condition!

do{
while (<exp>){
//statement 1
// statement 1
//statement 2
// statement 2
}
}
while(<exp>);

Semicolon!