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CS 112 Introduction to Programming
Lecture 1: Introduction
Zhong Shao
Department of Computer Science
Yale University
314 AK Watson, Phone: 432-6828
Email: [email protected]
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Introduction
rProgramming is to solve problems using computers
–How to do it at all ?
–How to do it robustly ?
–How to do it effectively ?
rProgramming consists of two steps:
–Algorithmic design (the architects)
–Coding (the construction workers)
rProgramming requires:
–A programming language (e.g., C#) to express your ideas
–A set of tools to design, edit, and debug your code
–A compiler to translate your programs into machine code
–A machine to run the executable code
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Why CS112 ?
rComputer is becoming ubiquitous …
–programming gets you more out of computer
–learn how to solve problems
–dealing with abstractions
–be more precise
rUnfortunately, most people
–know little about Computer Science
–know little about Programming
–write bad or buggy programs
–become lost when writing large programs
rWhat can help? Take CS112 !
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This Course
rThe goal of cs112 is to learn
–elementary and intermediate programming techniques
–how to craft medium and large programs
–C# programming language (Java is similar)
–important algorithms and data structures
–software tools and operating systems
–in-depth knowledge about Computer Science
rA heavy programming course
rUse Microsoft Visual Studio . NET C# Compiler
–via Remote Desktop Client to three cs112 servers
rIntended mainly as you first programming course
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Crafting Programs Effectively
rProgram design
–design process
–stepwise refinement & top-down design
–bottom-up design
–modularization, interfaces
–use of abstractions
rProgramming style
–structured programming
–readable code
–effective use of language constructs
–“formatting”
–software organization
rDocumentation and comments
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Algorithms and Data Structures
rAlgorithm: a strategy for computing something, e.g.,
–sorting: putting data in order by key
–searching: finding data in some kind of index
–finding primes and generating random numbers
–string processing
–graphics: drawing lines, arcs, and other geometric objects
rData structure: a way to store data, e.g.,
–arrays and vectors
–linked lists
rTwo are related:
–data structures organize data
–algorithms use that organization
