Introduction to Computer

Sciences
FSC 103

2015/2016 Academic Session

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 Course Details
• Venue: DLI, Auditorium A, B & C
• Time: Tuesdays 8am – 10am
• Lecturer: Mrs. Ojiako, Mr. Ajayi & Mr. Edagbami
• Texts: Computer Fundamentals & Visual
Basic Language (Highly
recommended),
Other relevant texts

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 Course Objectives
At the end of this course, students should:

• Understand the Software Development Life Cycle

(SDLC).

• Be introduced to writing programs in Visual

Basic

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 Outline
• Introduction to Programming (2 Parts).

• Programming with Visual Basic (2 Parts).

* Term assignment.

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Introduction

LECTURE 1

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 What is a Computer?
• It can be defined as a data processing machine
that is capable of accepting input from users in
form of data, processing or storing these data and
giving output based on user supplied logic.

• A computer is a general purpose device that can

be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or
logical operations automatically

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Types of Computers

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Source: informationq.co m
 Stored Program Concept
• A concept of storing alterable instructions that
will direct the machine to automatically
perform the necessary processing steps to
carry out a task.

• This is the major feature that distinguishes a

computer from a basic calculator or other
data processing machines

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 Machine of Machines
• Computers on their own are dumb machines that simply
do nothing. It is the program supplied that actually
makes them useful.

• A computer for example becomes an arithmetic

calculator or a music player once a calculator or media
player program is loaded into it.

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Introduction to Programming

LECTURE 1

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 What is a Computer Program
• A computer program is a sequence of simple
logical instructions into which a given
problem is reduced and which is in a form a
computer can understand.

• A given problem can be broken

down/reduced into…
– Sequence of simple logical instructions
– A form the computer can understand
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• A program is simply a list of logical
instructions that tell the computer what to do.
– Simple addition program
• Accept first number = x
• Accept second number = y
• Add x and y = z
• Output z as answer

• The program should incorporate the logical

procedure to solving a given problem, hence a
computer does not produce logic, it simply
follows that, which is supplied in the
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• Computer Programming is the act of writing code
which can be executed by a computing system to
perform a meaningful task or give a desired
result.

• Programs are written to solve specific problems of

varying level of complexity requiring different
level of resources and planning.

A sample program might be to add/subtract two

numbers while another to manage the customers’
accounts of a large enterprise bank
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• All problems to be solved by a computer must be
broken down into four basic operations:
– Calculating or computing
– Comparing and testing
– Shifting operation
– Jumping operations

As long as a problem can be reduced to these basic

operations it can be solved.

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The Software Development Life Cycle
Problem
Definition

Documen Problem
tation Analysis

Development or Design /
Implementation
Model

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*Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
 Problem Definition
• A complete, precise and unambiguous statement
of the problem to be solved.

• It is a clear definition of what the program does or

is meant to do.

Problem definition example:

“Program to Multiply two integer numbers”
“Program to calculate XYZ Limited’s current employee
pension” FSC 103 NOT FOR SALE PLEASE
 Class Programming Example
Write a program to sum first 10 natural
numbers.

• Problem Definition:
– Program to find the sum of the first 10 natural
numbers

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Start from 0 or from 1
 Problem Analysis
• A thorough examination of the problem
defined in the problem definition stage.

• It involves breaking down the problem into its

constituent parts and determine what is/are
needed to solve the it.

• Here the Input(s), Output(s) and Procedure(s)

are identified.
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 Problem Analysis Example
• Program to calculate XYZ Limited’s current employee
pension

– Input = EmployeeID, [Full Name], Department, Designation,

Employment Date, Salary, Pension percentage

– Output = Pension

– Procedure = Get active service year by subtracting current

date from employment date, then multiple
by the pension percentage to get pension
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* More examples available in the course text
 Class Programming Example
Problem Analysis:

• The first 10 natural numbers are:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
• Input = first 10 natural numbers
• Output = the summation
• Procedure=
Start from the first natural number (1).
Add the next number to it
Store summation
Continue till the tenth natural number
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 Model / Design
• A model is an abstraction of the real problem
and it defines the relationship between objects
of the problem space.

– Mathematical models illustrated on page 74 of

course text.
– Logical model: flowchart, business process chart

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 Algorithm
• A finite process or set of rules which spells out
a step-by-step sequence of operations to be
followed to solve a specific problem.
Finite It must end

Definite steps Each step must be clear, precise and

unambiguous
Input It should have at least an input

Output It should have at least an output

Effective The steps can be done exactly in a

finite and reasonable length of time
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 Examples of Algorithm: Simple Addition

Given 1234 + 5678

1. Arrange the two numbers in
standard form.
2. Start with right most column c
(current column). 1 2 3 4
3. Add the digits in the current 5 6 7 8
column. 2
4. If sum < 10, record sum under
current column
5. If sum > 10, subtract 10 from
the sum and record remainder,
add 1 to the column left of
current column.
6. Current column = immediate
left column
7. If current column is empty then
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 Algorithm Notations
• Assignment notation:
A B, meaning assign value of B to A
• Arithmetic notations: +, -, *, /
• Logical notations: =, <>, ≠, <, >

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 Simple Addition Algorithm
V1 1 2 3 4
1. Set V1, V2 and SUM 0
V2 5 6 7 8
2. Set V1 1234 SUM 6 9 1 2
3. Set V2 5678
4. SUM V1 + V2
5. Output SUM as answer

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 Class Programming Example
• Sum of first 10 numbers, ie Plan / Procedure
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +5 + 6 + 7 + 8 • Let n = number of natural
+ 9 + 10 numbers ie 10.
• Let SUM = summation
Written mathematically as • Let i = current number
• Initialize all variables*
n = 10
S= SUM = 0
i=1

• Thus the algorithm is

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*Why initialize? Page 83 & 84 of Course Text for details
 Algorithm to sum first 10 natural numbers

1. i 1
2. SUM 0
3. SUM SUM + i
4. i i + 1
5. If i > 10 GOTO Step 7
6. Else GOTO step 3
7. STOP

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 FLOW CHART
• A flowchart is a diagram that presents logical
structures pictorially.

• It serves to help a person easily understand a

program written by someone else.

• To achieve this, present / standard symbols are

used to denote different operations. These
most used symbols are:
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 Flowchart Symbols
SYMBOL MEANING

START / STOP

PROCESS

DECISION

INPUT / OUTPUT

PREDEFINED PROCESS

CONNECTOR

LOGIC FLOW
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 Class Programming Example
Flowchart for Summing first 10 natural numbers
START

i = 1, SUM = 0

Is i > YES
STOP
10

NO

SUM = SUM + i
i=i+1

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 Flowchart Example 2

• The order of a new customer is accepted

provided it is not more than N5,000
otherwise it is referred to a supervisor. An
order from a regular (old) customer is always
accepted.

– Define the problem

– Analyze the problem
– Draw a flowchart
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 Flow Chart
START

CHECK CUSTOMER
STATUS

Order
NEW
CUSTOME
YES >
R? N5000
?
NO NO YES

ACCEPT ORDER REFER TO

SUPERVISOR

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DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION
(PROGRAMMING)

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 DOCUMENTATION
• Programs are meant to be documented, much like how
an equipment manufacturer adds a USER MANUAL.

• This ensures that others can read the documentation

and use the appliance / program.

• Documentation should start from the Problem

Definition stage and run all the way to the
programming stage and even beyond (such as pictures
of the program in use and possibly maintenance /
troubleshooting steps).
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PROGRAMMING IN VISUAL
BASIC
LECTURE 2

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 VISUAL BASIC
• BASIC means Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.

• It is arguably the most used programming language in the

history of computing.

• It is a very simple but powerful programming language that

combines the mathematical capabilities of FORTRAN and the
business orientation of COBOL.

• VISUAL refers to the method used to create Graphic User

Interfaces.

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TYPES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

• PROCEDURAL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE: This is

essentially a list of instructions telling the computer
what to do step-by-step, from the first line to the last
line of code. These type of language are also called
IMPERATIVE or TOP-DOWN language. Examples
are FORTRAN, COBOL and C.

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 Object Oriented Programming Languages
• Unlike procedural languages, OOP languages are all about objects.
• An object is a self-contained component of a program that knows how to perform certain
actions and how to interact with other elements of the program.

• Objects are the basic units of object-oriented programming.

• A simple example of an object is a car.

– Make, Model, Colour would be considered as the properties of the car.
– Abilities of a car include Accelerate, Turn, Stop…. these would be considered as methods of the car.

• A method in object-oriented programming is like a procedure in procedural programming.

The key difference here is that the method is part of an object. In object-oriented
programming, you organize your code by creating objects, and then you can give those
objects properties and methods.

• A key aspect of object-oriented programming is the use of classes. A class is a template or

blueprint of an object. You can think of a class as a concept, and the object as the
embodiment of that concept.

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• Examples of object-oriented languages include Visual Basic, C#, Java, Python.
• Visual Basic (VB) is an event-driven OOPL, and
consists of two major components – the Controls &
Commands.

• Controls are graphical items (such as Buttons &

Text Box) that could be placed on the FORM.

• Commands are instructions written by the

programmer instructing VB to carry out a specified
action.

• Event driven means an action has to be triggered

either by the user or a pre-set system timer.
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• Event-driven programs have items/controls
on a form, that carry out associated
procedures once a user interacts with them.
Example includes clicking a button

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 VB Programming Environment
• To Launch VB 6: • To Launch VB:NET
– From Windows Desktop
– Click Start
– Click All Programs
– Click Microsoft Visual
Studio 6
– Click on Microsoft Visual
Basic 6.0

* To be demonstrated in class

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 Features of VB
• KEYWORD: a pre-defined word that is
already defined and reserved for a specific
purpose. In VB these include: DIM, REM,
LOOP, IF, ELSE, END, FOR, SUB etc

• CONSTANT: a numeric or string value that

does not change in a program. They include
Integer, Long, Single, Double, String

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* Assignment: Learn all the keywords in VB
 Features of VB
• VARIABLES: A location or area within a
computer memory where data is/are stored.
– Variable name is the name given to a storage
location in a program.
– Variables are assigned values
– The assigned value can change but the variable
name and storage location cannot change until
the program terminates or the variable is released.

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 A Variable Name…
• Must begin with a letter
• May contain letters, digits and underscore all others
characters are not allowed (not even space). Similar
to an email address.
• Cannot exceed 255 character in length
• Cannot be a VB keyword
• Can be in any case ie Capital or Small letters.

Example
amount = 10000
fName = “ADE”
address = “BlockFSC2,103House 14, Ikeja”
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 DATA TYPES IN VB
• Data type is the attribute of a variable or field
which determines the kind of data it can hold.

• Common Data types in VB include:

– Integer - String
– long - Boolean
– Array
– User-defined (see page 114 of course material)

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 DATA DECLARATION IN VB
• The keyword DIM is used to declare variables
in VB.
• It tells VB to reserve a space in memory for
the variable
• Also tells VB what variable type to expect
when the program is executed.
Example
1. Dim name as string
2. Dim phone as long
3. Dim age as integer
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 OPERATORS IN VB
• There are 3 types of operators in VB
– Arithmetic operators such as addition (+), subtraction
(-), division (/), multiplication (*), bracket, mod

Example: 2 * 8 + 10

– Relational Operators
These operators result in either True or False.
These can also be classified as Boolean operation

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• Relational Operators include
greater than (>), less than (<), not equals to
(<>), less than or equals to (<=) etc.

Example of Relational Operators

a = 10, b = 50
If (a < b) then ….
else if (b < a) then…

• Logical Operators
– These include AND, NOT, XOR, OR, EQV

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OPERATOR ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
OPERATOR OPERATION ORDER OF
PRECEDENCE
() Bracket / Parentheses 1

^ Exponential 2
NOT Negation 3
* and / Multiplication & Division 4

\ Integer Division 5

Mod Modulus 6
+ and - Addition or Subtraction 7

<, <=, >, <> Relational 8

= and <> Equality 9
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 VB CONTROL STRUCTURE
• Instructions are executed in 3 ways
– Sequentially: one after the other.
– Selection: Choosing an instruction to execute out a
number of alternatives.

• Example
1. If logical expression is true then execute this
Else execute something else
End If

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 Example of Selection Control Structure

If (Score > 70) then GP = 5

Else if (Score > 60 AND Score< 70) then GP = 4
Else if (Score > 50 AND Score< 60) then GP = 3
Else if (Score > 40 AND Score< 50) then GP = 2
Else if (Score > 30 AND Score< 40) then GP = 1
Else GP = 0
End If

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 VB Control Structure
LOOPS
• Looping: Allows repeating an instruction or set
of instructions until a preset condition is met.
• Looping statements usually have an index or
counter, which is incremented / decremented
during the loop structure.
• After or before each loop the index is tested to
determine if to proceed with the loop or
terminate.
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 FOR…NEXT LOOP
• For… Next Loop
– For index = 1 to 10 step 1
Print index
Next index

• The For…Next loop is used when the number of

loops to be done is known before hand

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 DO..LOOP
This is used when the number of loops to be done is not known in advance.

Do Until Do While
Example Example
a = 100, b = 10 a = 100, b = 10
Do Until ( a < b) Do While ( a > b)
b= a–b b= a–b

loop loop

These two loop statement accomplish the same thing and are examples
of PRE-TEST loop statements.

That is the test condition is tested first before executing the body of the loop
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 DO..LOOP CONT’D

Do Until Do While
Example Example
a = 100, b = 10 a = 100, b = 10
Do Do
b= a–b b= a–b
Loop Until ( a < b) Loop While ( a > b)

These two loop are examples of POST-TEST loop statements,

whereby the body of the loop is executed before test condition is carried out

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 WHILE…WEND LOOP
• While… Wend Loop
– While (a > b)
Print a
b=a*b
Wend

• The While…Wend loop and the Do…loop do not

use index, hence variables MUST be assigned
values before commencing the loop.

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 LAUNCHING VISUAL BASIC 6 INTEGRATED
DEVELOPED INTERFACE

• Click START button

• CLICK PROGRAMS
• CLICK on MS VISUAL
STUDIO 6
• On the NEW PROJECT dialog,
click on STANDARD EXE.
• Click OPEN

*The above is for Windows XP /

Vista. Windows 8 varies slightly

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 THE VB I.D.E Menu Bar
Title Bar

Tool Bar

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• Title Bar
– The top most line of the IDE window. It contains the project name and icon.
– On the LEFT side it contains 3 icons that minimize, maximize and close the
IDE window

• Menu Bar
– Provides access to most of the commands that control the programming
environment (IDE), such as File, View, Tools etc.

• Tool Bar
– Collection of buttons that serve as shortcuts for executing commands and
controlling the VB IDE. It includes icons such as OPEN File, SAVE, New Project
etc

• Tool Box
– This gives easy access to common VB controls or tools such as textbox,
command button, list box, etc.

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• Form Designer Window
– The form designer sits right at the center of the VB IDE. It is the heart and soul
of the Visual Basic GUI development process. This is where you can drag and
drop dialog boxes, pictures, and other graphical elements to complete your
project. Familiarize yourself with the form designer; you will be using it
extensively in your programs.

• Properties Explorer
– The properties window allows you to view and edit properties associated with
any particular form or control element.

• Form Layout Window

– This little window helps position the designed form where you want it in
relation to the whole screen

• Project Window
– The project window shows all the files and folders included within the project.

• Code Editor
– The code editor window is used to manually write codes / program instructions
for a control. There is a separate code editor window associated with each form
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COMMON WINDOWS FORM CONTROLS VB

• Textbox: is used to accept information entered by

the user during execution or display an information
to the user.

• Label: Primarily used to display text that a user

cannot edit directly by the user during execution.

• Button: Trigger event(s) or action(s) when clicked by

the user.
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 Class Example 1

Program to Calculate Area & Circumference of a Circle

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• Problem Definition
• Problem Analysis NB: Reporting should
– Input & Output be based on the
– Procedure steps of the Software
– Variables & their data types Development Life
– Buttons & functions Cycle (SDLC)
• Algorithm & Flowchart
• Implementation
• Documentation

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• Problem Definition: A program in MS Visual Basic
to calculate the area & circumference of a circle.

• Problem Analysis:
– Input = radius of the circle
– Output = area & circumference
– Procedure:
• Area = Pi * radius * radius
• Circumference = 2 * Pi * radius

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Modeling & Design

– Variables:
Start
• Dim rad as Integer
• Dim area as Double
Enter • Dim cirm as Double
RADIUS
– Sketch what the
application would look
Output
Area = Pi * RADIUS2
Area & like
Cirmf = 2* Pi * RADIUS
Cirmf

Stop

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Flowchart
Implementation & Documentation
• Implementation & programming to be done in
the lab and submitted in your lab workbooks.
IT WILL BE GRADED AS YOUR TERM ASSIGNMENT

• Documentation

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 Class Example 2

Program to Add first 10 Natural Numbers in VB

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Program to Add first 10 Numbers
Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As
EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click

Dim firstNumber = Val(TextBox1.Text)

Dim lastNumber = Val(TextBox2.Text)
Dim index = firstNumber

Dim result = 0

For index = firstNumber To lastNumber Step 1

result = result + index
TextBox4.Text = Str(index)
Next index

TextBox3.Text = result

End Sub

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 End of Class

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING

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