UNIT 1
UNIT 1
Programming Languages
Programming Languages
Embedded Files
There are hundreds of programming languages. Each is used for different tasks.
Javascript (HTML and CSS) and Python are Front-End Languages, which means that they are used to make the part of a website that can be viewed on a screen.
C++ is a Back-End language that organizes and connects the information from the front-end. It runs faster than other programming languages, but is harder to program, therefore a person may start writing their code in Python and then replace parts with C++ to increase the speed in which is processes information.
No computer programmer knows every programming language, just like no one knows every spoken language. It is useful for a computer programmer to know several languages though so they are able to combine codes for better running or better looking programs.
Creating Algorithms
Creating Algorithms
Coding without some sort of plan is like building a house without a blueprint. Before typing out a program, programmers first come up with the algorithm. An algorithm is a list of steps that will be used in the code. They often use psuedocode and flowcharts to design or plan their algorithms. A flowchart is a diagram that outlines the steps in the process. Pseudocode is meant to be read by humans, not the computer. It is a simplified way to prepare for the actual code.
Flowcharts help programmers visualize the steps in an algorithm. Just like making an outline before an essay, flowcharts help organize ideas. They use specific symbols to represent a different part of the algorithm.
Binary Code
Binary Code
In a computer, information travels over wires. The easiest way to convey information in a wire is to consider it "on" or "off", based on how much electricity is going through it. An "on" wire represents 1, and an "off" wire represents 0. This small piece of information is called a "bit", and it's the smallest piece of information that computers process.
A single wire can only represent one bit, one piece of information. We can represent the results of a coin flip with a single bit—by saying that 0 represents tails and 1 represents heads—but we usually need to represent much more information than that in a computer.
The solution? More wires! Each wire adds an additional bit of information, an extra bit that can be considered on or off, 1 or 0.
In computers, we use bits to represent numbers, using the binary number system.
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