Comp 112: Computer Programming 1
Unit I
Introduction to Programming
UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING
Content:
• Machine, Assembly and High-Level Language
• The programmer’s job
• Control Structures
What is Programming Language?
❑ Is like a special set of instructions and rules
that humans use to tell computers what to do.
❑ A programming language acts as a translator,
allowing us to write commands in a way that
is structured and logical for us, and then that
language is converted into something the
computer can execute.
Categories of Programming Language?
❑Machine Language
❑ Low-level Language
❑ High-level Language
MACHINE LANGUAGE
❑ Machine Language (1st Generation):
❑The absolute lowest level, consisting of
binary code (0s and 1s) that the
computer's CPU directly understands and
executes.
❑Extremely difficult for humans to write
and read.
MACHINE LANGUAGE
Central Processing Unit
Programmer (CPU)
Machine Language
Program
MACHINE LANGUAGE
ASCII (American Standard Code for
Information Interchange)
ASCII - is like a universal codebook for text characters
that computers use.
MACHINE LANGUAGE
Convert 'H' • 1÷2=0 remainder 1
• ASCII Value of 'H' • Reading the remainders
(uppercase): 72 (decimal) from bottom to top:
1001000
• Convert 72 to Binary:
• 72÷2=36 remainder 0 • So, 'H' in 8-bit binary
• 36÷2=18 remainder 0 (standard for ASCII) is
• 18÷2=9 remainder 0 01001000 (we add a
• 9÷2=4 remainder 1 leading zero to make it 8
• 4÷2=2 remainder 0 bits).
• 2÷2=1 remainder 0
MACHINE LANGUAGE
• Convert 'i' • 1÷2=0 remainder 1
• Reading the remainders from
• ASCII Value of 'i' bottom to top: 1101001
(lowercase): 105 (decimal)
• So, 'i' in 8-bit binary is
• Convert 105 to Binary: 01101001 (we add a leading
• 105÷2=52 remainder 1 zero to make it 8 bits).
• 52÷2=26 remainder 0
Note:
• 26÷2=13 remainder 0 • When converting a decimal number to binary,
• 13÷2=6 remainder 1 we divide by 2 repeatedly because binary is
• 6÷2=3 remainder 0 a base-2 number system.
• 3÷2=1 remainder 1 • Binary numbers only have two digits: 0 and 1.
MACHINE LANGUAGE
Putting it together:
H - 01001000
i - 01101001
Hi - 01001000 01101001
Categories of Programming Language?
❑Machine Language
❑ Low-level Language
❑ High-level Language
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑Assembly Language (2nd Generation):
❑A symbolic representation of machine
code, using mnemonics (short, human-
readable codes) for instructions (e.g., ADD,
MOV).
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑Assembly Language (2nd Generation):
❑It's a slight abstraction over machine
code, but still hardware-specific.
Requires an assembler to convert it into
machine code.
❑An assembler is a special program that
acts as a translator for assembly
language.
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGE
Categories of Programming Language?
❑Machine Language
❑ Low-level Language
❑ High-level Language
HIGH-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑High-Level Languages (3rd Generation
and beyond):
❑Designed to be more human-readable
and abstract away the complexities of
computer hardware. They use elements
of natural language and mathematical
notation.
❑Examples: Python, Java, JavaScript,
C#, Ruby, Pascal, Fortran, etc.
HIGH-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑High-Level Languages (3rd Generation and
beyond):
❑Advantages: Easier to learn, write, debug,
and maintain; highly portable across different
systems.
COMPILER
❑A compiler is a special computer program
that acts like a translator.
❑Its main job is to take a program you've
written in a human-readable language (like
C++, Java, or Python, if it's compiled) and
convert the entire thing into a language
that the computer's processor can directly
understand and execute (which is called
machine code).
HIGH-LEVEL LANGUAGE
Machine Language
Program Central
The compiler is Processing Unit
used to translate (CPU)
the high-level
language program
to a machine
language program.
MIDDLE-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑Middle-Level Languages:
❑Languages that bridge the gap between low-
level control and high-level abstraction.
They offer more user-friendliness than
assembly but still allow for direct memory
manipulation and hardware interaction.
❑Example: C, C++ (often considered middle-
level due to pointer manipulation and direct
memory access, despite having high-level
features).
C++ AS MIDDLE-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑Middle-Level Languages:
❑C++ is a powerful, high-level, general-
purpose programming language that
provides extensive abstraction and modern
programming paradigms. However, it also
retains the ability to perform low-level
memory manipulation and hardware
interaction, making it incredibly versatile
and efficient for a wide range of
applications.
C++ AS MIDDLE-LEVEL LANGUAGE
❑Middle-Level Languages:
❑This blend of high-level features and
low-level control is what sometimes
leads to it being described as a
"middle-level" language.
Programmer’s Job
PROGRAMMER’S JOB
❑A programmer's job is to write
instructions (code) that tell computers
exactly what to do.
❑Programmers create the software, apps,
and systems that solve problems and
perform tasks for people and businesses.
❑Essentially, a programmer is an architect
and builder of digital solutions.
PROGRAMMER’S JOB
❑A programmer's job is to translate
ideas and solutions into a language
computers understand, making them
perform specific tasks.
YOUR ROLE AS BSIT STUDENTS
❑The role of BSIT (Bachelor of Science in
Information Technology) students is to
learn how to make computers and
technology work well to help people and
businesses achieve their goals.
❑They are being trained to be the "tech
experts" who can understand, build, and
manage the digital tools and systems we
all use every day.
Programming
Terminology
PROGRAMMING TERMINOLOGY
❑Code is the set of instructions you write
using a programming language. It's like the
individual words, sentences, and
paragraphs in a recipe.
❑A Program is the complete recipe – the
entire collection of all that code, put
together in a specific order, designed to
make a computer do a specific task, like
run an app, a game, or a website.
PROGRAMMING TERMINOLOGY
❑ Coding is simply the act of writing
instructions for a computer using a
programming language.
❑ Syntax is about the form or grammar of a
programming language (the rules for how
code must be written to be valid).
PROGRAMMING TERMINOLOGY
❑ Semantics specifically refers to the
meaning of programming language
constructs and how they behave when
executed.
Control Structures
CONTROL STRUCTURES
❑Control structures in programming
are fundamental constructs that dictate the
order in which statements are executed
within a program.
❑They enable programmers to manipulate the
flow of execution, allowing programs to make
decisions, repeat actions, and respond
dynamically to different conditions and
inputs.
CONTROL STRUCTURES
❑ Sequence Structure
❑ Selection Structure
❑ Repetition Structure
SEQUENCE STRUCTURE
❑ refers to the line-by-line execution by
which statements are executed
sequentially, in the same order in which
they appear in the program.
SEQUENCE STRUCTURE
CONTROL STRUCTURES
❑ Sequence Structure
❑ Selection Structure
❑ Repetition Structure
SELECTION STRUCTURE
❑This allows the program to make decisions.
It executes different blocks of code based on
whether a certain condition is true or false.
SELECTION STRUCTURE
CONTROL STRUCTURES
❑ Sequence Structure
❑ Selection Structure
❑ Repetition Structure
REPETITION STRUCTURE
❑Also referred to as Iterative Structure.
❑This allows the program to repeat a block of
code multiple times.
REPETITION STRUCTURE
REPETITION STRUCTURE
END OF UNIT 1
