Intro to Programming

Jezreel Crisostomo, LPT

South Philippine Adventist College
Computer Programming?
 What is programming?
 The process of writing, testing, and maintaining
the source code of computer programs.
 Telling the computer what to do
 Why learn to program?
 Develops logic and problem-solving skills
 Improves attention to detail
 It’s fun!
But I’m Not a Geek!
 Until
recently, programming required
knowledge of computer language syntax
Why Learn Programming?
 Computers have become commonplace in our modern life
 Understanding the strengths and limitations of computers requires some understanding of programming

 Programming can be loads of fun!

 It is an intellectually engaging activity that allows you to express yourself through remarkably beautiful creations

 Programming develops valuable problem-solving skills, especially ones that pertain to analysis, design and
implementation

 Programmers are in great demand!

Ubiquitous
Astronomy
Computing

Smaller,
Faster,
Cheaper
Sensors
Gene
Sequencing
and
Biotechnology
 Hardware Basics
 To be a successful programmer, you need to
know some details of how computers work

 For instance, understanding the basics of

hardware will help you analyze the performance
(or efficiency) of any of your programs
 Will the data of your program fit in memory?
 If not, how would that impact the performance of your program?
 Is your program CPU-bound or IO-Bound?
 If CPU-bound, how powerful is your CPU?
 If IO-bound, how big is your disk or network bandwidth?
Functional View of a Computer

Output
CPU Devices
Input
Devices

Main Seconda
Memory ry
Memory
Functional View of a Computer

• The secondary memory is where your saved program and data reside

• It is a non-volatile storage
• I.e., when the power is turned off,
your program and data will NOT be lost E.g., Hard Disk

Seconda
ry
Memory
Functional View of a Computer

• The main memory is much faster (but more expensive) than the
secondary one, however, it is volatile

• Your program and data are copied from secondary memory to main
memory for efficiency reasons
E.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)

Main Seconda
Memory ry
Memory
 Functional View of a Computer

• The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the “brain” of the computer

• It can at least perform:

• Arithmetic operations CPU
(e.g., adding 2 numbers)
• Logical operations
(e.g., test if 2 numbers
are equal) Main Seconda
Memory ry
Memory
• It can directly access
information stored in main memory but not in secondary memory
Functional View of a Computer

E.g., Monitor
E.g., Keyboard Output
and mouse CPU Devices
Input
Devices

Main Seconda
Memory ry
Memory
Functional View of a Computer
 Humans interact with
computers via Input and
Output (IO) devices E.g., Monitor
E.g., Keyboard Output
and mouse  Information from Input devices Devices
are processed by the CPU
Input
and may be shuffled off to the
Devices
main or secondary memory

 When information need to be

displayed, the CPU sends
them to one or more Output
devices
 Programming Languages
 A program is just a sequence of instructions
telling the computer what to do
 Obviously, we need to provide these instructions
in a language that computers can understand
 We refer to this kind of a language as a programming language
 Python, Java, C and C++ are examples of programming languages

 Every structure in a programming language has

an exact form (i.e., syntax) and a precise
meaning (i.e., semantic)
 Machine Languages

 Python, Java, C, and C++ are, indeed, examples of high-

level languages

 Strictly speaking, computer hardware can only

understand a very low-level language known as machine
language

 If you want a computer to add two numbers, the

Load the
instructions number
that the from
CPUmemory location
will carry out2001 into be
might the CPU
Load the
something this: from memory location 2002 into the CPUA Lot of
likenumber
Add the two numbers in the CPU Work!
Store the result into location 2003
 High-Level to Low-Level
Languages
 In a high-level language like Python, the addition
of two numbers can be expressed more
naturally:
c=a+b Much Easier!

 But, we need a way to translate the high-level

language into a machine language that a
computer can execute
 To this end, high-level language can either be
compiled or interpreted
 Compiling a High-Level
Language
A compiler is a complex software that takes a
program written in a high-level language and
translates it into an equivalent program in the
machine
Source language of some computer
Machine
Code Compiler
Code
(Program)

Running Output
Inputs
Program s
 Interpreting a High-Level
Language

 An interpreter is a software that analyzes and executes

the source code instruction-by-instruction (on-the-fly) as
necessary
Source
Code
(Program) Computer
Output
Running An
s
Interpreter
Inputs

 E.g., Python is an interpreted language

 Compiling vs. Interpreting

 Compiling is a static (i.e., pre-execution), one-shot translation

 Once a program is compiled, it may be run over and over again
without further need for the compiler or the source code

 Interpreting is dynamic (i.e., happens during execution)

 The interpreter and the source code are needed every time the
program runs

 Compiled programs tend to be faster, while interpreted ones

lend themselves to a more flexible programming environments
(they can be developed and run interactively)
 Note on Portability

 The translation process highlights another advantage that high-level

languages have over machine languages, namely, portability

 A program for an Intel-based machine will not run on an IBM-based

machine since each computer type has its own machine language

 On the other hand, a program written in a high-level language (say,

a Python program) can be run on many different kinds of computers
as long as there is a suitable compiler or interpreter
 Python programs are said to be portable!
Anyone Can Program!
 New tools, like Scratch, allow ANYONE to
create computer programs without learning
complicated syntax.
Programming with Scratch
 Open Scratch from either the desktop icon or
Start Menu
 Summary

 A computer is a universal information-processing machine, which

can carry out any process that can be described in sufficient detail

 A description of the sequence of steps for solving a particular

problem is called an algorithm

 Algorithms can be turned into software (programs) that determine

what the hardware (physical machine) can and does accomplish

 The process of creating software is called programming

 Summary

 A basic functional view of a computer system comprises

a central processing unit (CPU), a main memory, a
secondary memory, and input and output devices

 The CPU is the brain of the computer that performs

simple arithmetic and logical operations

 Information that the CPU acts on (data and programs)

are stored in main memory (e.g., RAM), while more
permanent information are stored in secondary memory
(e.g., disk)
 Summary

 Programs are written using a formal notation known as a

programming language

 There are many different languages, but all share the property
of having a precise syntax (form) and semantics (meaning)

 Computer hardware only understands a very low-level

language known as machine language

 Programs are usually written using human-oriented high-level

languages such as Python
 Summary

 A high-level language must either be compiled or

interpreted in order for the computer to understand it

 High-level languages are more portable than machine

languages

 Python is an interpreted language

 One way to learn about Python is to use an interactive

shell for experimentation
Homework
 Make sure you have the latest version of
Scratch installed on your Tablet PC
 Finish working through the Scratch Getting

Started Guide
 Feel free to experiment and explore!
Scratch Syntax: Part 1
Statements
 In programming, a statement is simply a
directive that tells the computer to do
something. Think of it as a command or an
instruction.
 In Scratch, any block whose label reads like

a command is a statement.
Boolean Expressions
 Sometimes, you only want a statement to be
executed under certain conditions. Such
conditions are defined in terms of Boolean
expressions.
 In programming, a Boolean expression is

an expression that is either true or false. In

Scratch, any block shaped like an elongated
diamond is a Boolean expression.
Boolean Expressions
 One such block is:

After all, it is either true that the mouse button

is down or it is false.
 Another such block is:
After all, it is either true that some number is
less than another number or it is false.
 With Boolean expressions can we construct

conditions.
Conditions
 In programming, a condition is something
that must be true in order for something to
happen.
 A condition is thus said to "evaluate to true"

or "evaluate to false."
 In Scratch, any block whose label says "if,"

"when," or "until" is a sort of conditional

construct.
Conditions
 IfConstruct: Instruct a sprite to say hello
only if, say, the user has depressed the
mouse button:

 If-Else Construct: Instruct a sprite to say

hello or goodbye, depending on whether the
user has depressed the mouse button:
Conditions
 When Construct: Instruct a sprite to do
something when an event occurs:

 When Construct: Instruct a sprite to wait to

do something until a condition is true:
Loops
 In programming, a loop can induce multiple
executions of statements.
 In Scratch, any block whose label begins with

"forever" or "repeat" is a looping construct.

Follow Me

Follow Me applet
Homework
 Complete the Cat Walk Project
 You may wish to use the Scratch Reference

Guide and the Programming Concepts

Handout as resources
 Completed projects need to be submitted via

Interact by the due date.

Scratch Syntax: Part 2
Algebra-Geometry
Variables
 In programming, a variable is a placeholder
for some value, much like x and y are popular
variables in algebra.
 In Scratch, variables are represented with

blocks shaped like elongated circles,

uniquely labeled by you.
Threads
 In programming, a thread is like a mini-
program within a program that can execute at
the same time as other threads.
 In Scratch, any block whose label begins with

"when" essentially demarks the start of a

thread.
Events
 An event is a signal from one thread to
another.
 Blocks whose labels begin with "broadcast"

signal events whereas blocks whose labels

begin with "when" handle events.
Pac Man and Pong
 Games like Pac Man  A Variable could be
use Threads added to Pong
Homework
 Complete the Tweak a Game Project
 Remember that the video tutorials can be

very helpful
 Completed projects need to be submitted via

Interact by the due date. Don’t forget to

include your brief written summary!
Scratch Syntax:
Your First Game
Adding a Level
 Levels
can be added using threads and
events.
Copter Game Flight Code
Copter Game—One Level
Homework
 Complete the Your First Game Project
 You may wish to use the Copter Game and

Levels program as resources

 Completed projects need to be submitted via

Interact by the due date.