EE171

Introduction to Computers &

Programming for Engineers

Lecture 3:
Introduction to Computer Programming
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 Computer Programming?

Algorithm

Errors in Programming

Introduction to C Programming
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 Useful Links
https://www.studytonight.com/c/

https://www.javatpoint.com/c-programming-language-tutorial

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 Useful Apps (Android)

C4droid

CppDroid-C/C++ IDE

Mobile C (C/C++ Compiler)

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 Computer Programming
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 Computer program is a formally designed set of

instructions written to be executed by the computer to
perform a particular task.

 Computer programming is the process of designing,

writing and testing a set of computer instructions which
performs a certain task.
 Program Development Phases
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 Design Phase: To create an ordered sequence of

steps that describe a solution of the problem.
• This sequence of steps is called an algorithm.

 Implementation Phase: Writing instructions using a

specific computer language.
• Translating an algorithm into a computer program
 Program Development Life Cycle
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 Computer Programming?

Program Algorithm

Errors in Programming

Introduction to C Programming
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 Program Algorithm
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 Algorithm is a finite set of steps defining the solution of a

particular problem or task.
 Algorithm is not a computer program
 Need not to belong to one particular language
 An algorithm is usually expressed in English-like language
called Pseudocode or in the form of Flowchart.
 Write an algorithm to determine a student’s final grade
and indicate whether it is a PASS or FAIL. The final
grade is calculated as the average of four scores. The
pass-mark is 50.

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 Advantages of using Algorithm
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 Provides the core solution to a given problem.

 The core solution can be implemented on a computer system
using any programming language of user’s choice.
 Helps identification and removal of logical errors in a program.
 Facilitates analysis to find out the most efficient solution to a
given problem.
 Flowcharts
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 A flowchart is the graphical representation of an

algorithm, often used in the design phase to work out
the logical flow of a program.
 Visual way to represent the information flow
 Makes a program logic more clear
 Make testing and debugging easy
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 Write an algorithm and a flowchart to determine a student’s
final grade and indicate whether it is a PASS or FAIL. The final
grade is calculated as the average of four scores.

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 Algorithm vs Flowchart vs Program
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 Computer Programming?

Program Algorithm

Errors in Programming

Introduction to C Programming
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 Errors in Computer Programming
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 Errors are very common in computer programming,

especially during development phase.

 Common errors experienced by programmers are:

• Syntax errors
• Runtime errors
• Logical errors
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 Syntax Errors
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 Also called compile time errors

 They are caused by violating the grammar/syntax of the

language.
 Must be corrected before the program can run

 Examples of syntax errors are:

• Using a variable without declaration
• Forgetting semicolon at the end of a statement
• Invalid variables names due to ‘typos’
 Runtime Errors
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 Runtime errors occurs as the program is executed

 When there are no syntax errors, but the program can’t
complete execution
 Example: Divide by zero, Invalid input data
 Logical Errors
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 The program completes execution, but delivers

incorrect results
 Logical errors can be the hardest to track down
 Technically the program is correct, but the results won’t
be what you expected.
 Example: Using a wrong arithmetic/logical operator
 Computer Programming?

Program Algorithm

Errors in Programming

Introduction to Programming using C

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 Introduction to Programming using C
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 C is a procedural/structured programming language

 Efficiency: intended for applications where assembly
language had traditionally been used.
 Mainly C Language is used for desktop applications and
system software.
 Systems that require fast and direct access to hardware
 Systems with limited resources (power, memory)
 Applications of C language
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 Key Concepts of C language
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 Identifiers,Variables and Constants

 Keywords in C
 Variables in C
 Data Types in C
 Operators in C
 Basic Structure of a C program
 Identifiers in C
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 Identifiers are distinct names given to program elements

such as constants, variables and functions
RULES:
 Identifier name must start with either an alphabet or underscore (_)
 Identifier name may consists of alphabets, underscore and digits
 The upper case and lower case letters are treated as distinct, i.e. identifiers
are case-sensitive.
 Identifier name should not be a predefined keyword
 Keywords in C
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 Keywords are predefined (reserved words) have special

meaning to the C compiler.
 C has 32 keywords
auto break case char const continue
default do double else enum extern
float for goto if int long
register return short signed sizeof static
struct switch typedef union unsigned void
volatile while
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 Variables in C
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 A variable can be considered as a name given to the location

in memory.
 The term variable is used to denote any value that is referred
to a name instead of explicit value.
 A variable is able to hold different values during execution of
a program, where as a constant is restricted to just one value.
 Any variable must be declared before being used
 Variables Declaration in C
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 When you create a variable, you have to specify the data type
during the declaration.
int age;

 You can also initialize a variable during declaration

int age = 37;
 Rules for Naming Variables
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 Variable name must begin with a letter or underscore.

 A variable name can contain alphabetical letters, digits and the
underscore character.
 The variable name should not be a C keyword.
 Variables are case sensitive
 Blanks are not allowed within a variable name.
 Variables should be declared in the C program before use.
 Constants in C
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 Constants refer to fixed values that the program may not

alter during its execution.
 These fixed values are also called literals.
 Constants can be of any of the basic data types like an integer,
floating, character, or a string.
 Constants are like variables, except that their value never
changes during execution once defined.
 Constants in C…
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 A constant is declared similarly to variables, except it is

prepended with the const keyword
const int AGE = 37;

 Another way to define constants is by using define keyword:

#define AGE 37
 Operators in C
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 An operator is a symbol that tells the computer to perform certain

mathematical or logical manipulations.
 Operators are used in a program to manipulate data and variables.
 The data items that operators act upon are called operands.
 Some operators require two operands, while others act upon only one
operand.
 The operators are classified into unary, binary and ternary depending
on whether they operate on one, two or three operands respectively.
 Operators in C…
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 C has four classes of operators

• Arithmetic Operators
• Relational Operators
• Logical Operators
• Bit-wise Operators

 In addition, C has some special operators:

• Increment & Decrement Operators
• Conditional Operators
• Compound Assignment Operators, etc.
 Arithmetic Operators
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There are five Arithmetic Operators in C

Operator Description
+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Division
% Module division
 Relational Operators
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 Relational Operators are symbols that are used to test the relationship
between two variables or between a variable and a constant.
Operator Description
> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or Equal to
<= Less than or Equal to
== Equal to
!= Not equal to
 Logical Operators
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 Logical Operators are symbols that are used to combine or

negate expressions containing relational operators.

Operator Description
&& AND
|| OR
! NOT EQUAL
 Bitwise Operators
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 These operators work only with int and char datatypes and cannot be
used with float and double type.
Operator Description
~ Bitwise NOT
| Bitwise OR
& Bitwise AND
^ Bitwise Exclusive OR (XOR)
>> Right Shift
<< Left Shift
 Unary Operators
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Operator Name Example

- Unary minus -a
++ Increment a++ or ++a
-- Decrement a-- or --a
& Address of Operator &number
 Compound Assignment Operators
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 C has a set of shorthand operators, that simplifies the coding of a

certain type of assignment statements.

Statement Equivalent Statement

a += b a=a+b
a -= b a=a–b
a *= b a=a*b

a %= b a=a%b
 Conditional/Ternary Operator
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 C provides a peculiar operator ? : which is useful in reducing

the complexity of the code.
 It is the only operator in C that works with 3 operands
 The general format is A ? B : C;

 In the above conditional expression, A is evaluated first.

 If the value of A is (TRUE), then the value returned will be B.
 If the value of A is (FALSE), then the value returned will be C.
 Operators Precedence
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 Operators precedence determines how multiple operators are

evaluated in a single expression
 The operators of the higher level of precedence are evaluated first.
 What will be the value of c on the statements below?

int a, b, c;
a = 2;
b = 4;
c = b + a * a / b - a;
 Operators Precedence
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 In the order from less precedence to more precedence

• = assignment operator
• + and - binary operators
• * and / operators
• + and - unary operators
 Operators also have an associativity rule, which is always left
to right
 Parentheses have higher priority over anything else.
 Basic Structure of a C Program
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1. /* Program for printing a message */ 1. Comment line: Comments provide

clarification to the source code.
2. # include <stdio.h>
2. # include <stdio.h>: Tells the compiler to read
3. int main( ) the file stdio.h and include its contents in this
file/program
4. {
3. int main( ):The start of the main program.
5. printf(“Good night”);
4. {: Represents the beginning of the program.
6. }
5. printf(); Function to print the output on screen.
6. }: Represents the end of the program.
 Rules to write a C Program
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 C is case-sensitive
 All statements must end with semicolon.
 A statement can be written in one line or it can split into multiple lines.
 Braces must always match upon pairs, i.e., every opening brace {must have a
matching closing brace }.
 Every complete C program must have the main( ) function.
 Comments cannot be nested. E.g.: /* Welcome to C/* programming*/ */
 A comment can be split into more than one line.
 Get used to errors in programming
 Input and Output Statements
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 Computer programs involve data input and output

 For standard input and output operations, we use scanf() and
printf() functions respectively.
 They are inbuilt library functions found in stdio.h
 scanf() function is used to take input from the keyboard
 printf() function is used to display output to the screen
 Input and Output Statements…
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 We have to include “stdio.h” library file to make use of these

functions

 The general syntax is:

printf(“formatted string”, list of arguments);
scanf(“formatted string”, list of arguments);
 List of arguments depends on the number of format specifiers
 printf() Function
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf(“My name is James”); My name is James
}
 printf() Function…
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf(“My name is James \n”); My name is James
printf(“I like sunset”); I like sunset
}
 Escape Sequence in C…
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Escape
Meaning Description
Sequence
\n New line Shifts the cursor to the new line
\t Horizontal tab Shifts the cursor a single tab space on the same line
\a Alarm/Beep Generates a beep sound to the user
\r Carriage return Shifts the cursor to the beginning of the same line
\\ Backslash Displays backslash
\” Double quotes Displays double quotes
 Escape Sequence in C…
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#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf(“We need to \“chase\” our dreams \n”);
printf(“Sun is hot \t Earth is round”);
}

We need to “chase” our dreams

Sun is hot Earth is round
 Format Specifiers in C
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Format Specifier Description

%d Signed integer
%u Unsigned Integer
%c Character
%s String of characters
%f Floating point number
%x Hexadecimal integer
%o Octal number
%% Percentage sign
 Write a C program that defines integer variable
and displays its value to the screen.

#include <stdio.h>
int main() { The value z is 16
int z = 16;
printf(“The value of z is %d”, z);
}

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 Write a C program that defines two integer
variables and displays their values to the screen.

#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
int x = 16, y = 25;
printf(“Values of x and y are %d and %d”, x, y);
}

The values of x and y are 16 and 25

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 #include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int A = 45;
printf(“Value of a is %d”, a);
printf(“Value of a in Hexadecimal is %x”, a);
}

Value of A is 45
Value of A in Hexadecimal is 2D
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 #include <stdio.h>
int main() {
float B = 12.675;
printf(“Value of B is %f”, B);
printf(“Value of B is %0.2f”, B);
printf(“Value of B is %0.0f”, B);
}

Value of B is 12.675000
Value of B is 12.68
Value of B is 13
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 scanf( ) Function
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 The scanf( ) function is a built-in C function that allows a

program to get input data from the keyboard.
 Examples: scanf(“%d”, &a);
scanf(“%d %c %f”, &a, &b, &c);
 In printf() we pass a value of a variable
 In scanf() we pass an address of a variable
 Write a C program that prompts the user to enter an integer
variable and the program should display the value of that
integer to the screen.

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int number; Enter any number: 57
printf(“Enter any number: "); The number entered is 57
scanf(“%d”, &number);
printf(“The number entered is %d”, number);
}
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 What will happen if we ignore the address operator
(&) in the scanf() function????

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int number;
printf(“Enter any number: ");
?????????
scanf(“%d”, number);
printf(“The number entered is %d”, number);
}
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 Write a C program that prompts the user to enter any number. The
program should then calculate, and display the square of that number

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int number, square;
Enter an integer: 7
printf(“Enter an number: "); The square of n is 49
scanf(“%d”, &number);
square = number*number;
printf(“The square of n is %d”, square);
}
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 To Do List
 Install a compiler for C programming language
 Recommended compiler - codeblocks
 Found at http://www.codeblocks.org/
 Download, Install and Get familiar with it.

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