Introduction to programming Essay Example for Free

Introduction to scheduling EssayAs this course is titled Introduction to programming, t presentfore it is most essential and appropriate to understand what programming re solelyy means. Let us runner see a widely known definition of programming. Definition A program is a fussy sequence of steps to solve a particular problem. It means that when we say that we lead a program, it real mean that we know virtu aloney a complete set activities to be performed in a particular order. The purpose of these activities is to solve a given problem. Alan Perlis, a professor at Yale University, saysSee more how to make unnecessary an introduction paragraph for an essayIt goes against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans, acqui remember discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail and learning to be self-critical? It is a mordant statement active modern education, and it means that the modern education is not developing critical skills comparable planning, organizing and paying attention to detail. Practically, in our day to day lives we ar constantly planning, organizing and paying attention to hunky-dory details (if we want our plans to succeed). And it is also fun to do these activities. For example, for a picnic trip we plan where to go, what to wear, what to watch for lunch, organize travel details and have a life-threatening period while doing so.When we talk some computer programming then as Mr. Steve Summit puts it At its most basic level, programming a computer b arly means telling it what to do, and this vapid-sounding definition is not even a joke. There be no other truly fundamental aspects of computer programming everything else we talk about will simply be the details of a particular, usually artificial, mechanism for telling a computer what to do. Sometimes these mechanisms are elect because they have been found to be convenient for programmers ( multitude) to us e other times they have been chosen because theyre gentle for the computer to understand. The first hard thing about programming is to learn, become comfortable with, and usurp these artificial mechanisms, whether they make sense to you or not. Why Programming is importantThe question most of the people ask is why should we learn to program when there are so many application computer software and autograph generators available to do the task for us. Well the answer is as give by the Matthias Felleisen in the book How to picture programs The answer consists of two parts. First, it is indeed true that traditionalistic forms of programming are reclaimable for just a few people. But, programming as we the authors understand it is useful for every unrivalled the administrative secretary who uses spreadsheets as well as the high-tech programmer. In other words, we have a broader notion of programming in mind than the traditional one.We develop our notion in a moment. Second, we te ach our idea of programming with a technology that is based on the principle of minimal intrusion. so, our notion of programming teaches problem-analysis and problem-solving skills without imposing the overhead of traditional programming notations and tools. Hence learning to program is important because it develops analytical and problem solving abilities. It is a inventive activity and provides us a mean to express abstract ideas. Thus programming is fun and is oftentimes more than a vocational skill. By designing programs, we learn many skills that are important for all professions. These skills can be summarized as Critical readingAnalytical thinking Creative synthesisWhat skills are neededProgramming is an important activity as people life and living depends on the programs one make. Hence while programming one should Paying attention to detail speak out about the reusability. Think about user interface Understand the fact the computers are stupid Comment the code liberall yPaying attention to detailIn programming, the details matter. This is a very important skill. A good programmer always analyzes the problem statement very carefully and in detail. You should pay attention to all the aspects of the problem. You cant be vague. You cant describe your program 3/4th of the way, then say, You know what I mean?, and have the compiler figure out the rest. Furthermore you should pay attention to the calculations involved in the program, its flow, and most importantly, the logic of the program. Sometimes, a grammatically temper sentence does not make any sense. For example, here is a verse from poem Through the Looking Glass scripted by Lewis Carol Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid curl and gimble in the wabe The grammar is correct but there is no meaning. Similarly, the sentence, Mr. ABC sleeps thirty hours every day, is grammatically correct but it is illogical. So it may happen that a program is grammatically correct. It compiles and runs but produc es incorrect or absurd results and does not solve the problem. It is very important to pay attention to the logic of the program.Think about the reusabilityWhen ever you are writing a program, always keep in mind that it could be reuse at some other time. Also, try to write in a way that it can be used to solve some other related problem. A classic example of this is Suppose we have to look the area of a given circle. We know the area of a circle is (Pi * r2). Now we have written a program which calculates the area of a circle with given radius. At some later time we are given a problem to find out the area of a ring. The area of the ring can be calculated by subtracting the area of outer circle from the area of the inner circle. Hence we can use the program that calculates the area of a circle to calculate the area of the ring.Think about Good user interfaceAs programmers, we assume that computer users know a lot of things, this is a big mistake. So never assume that the user of y our program is computer literate. Always provide an easy to understand and easy to use interface that is self explanatory.Understand the fact that computers are stupidComputers are incredibly stupid. They do exactly what you tell them to do no more, no less unlike gentle beings. Computers cant think by themselves. In this sense, they differ from human beings. For example, if someone asks you, What is the time?, Time disport? or just, Time? you understand anyway that he is asking the time but computer is different. operating instructions to the computer should be explicitly stated. Computer will tell you the time only if you ask it in the way you have programmed it. When youre programming, it helps to be able to think as stupidly as the computer does, so that you are in the mighty frame of mind for specifying everything in minute detail, and not assuming that the right thing will happen by itself.Comment the code liberallyAlways comment the code liberally. The comment statements d o not affect the performance of the program as these are ignored by the compiler and do not take any memory in the computer. Comments are used to explain the functioning of the programs. It helps the other programmers as well as the creator of the program to understand the code.Program design normalIn order to design a program effectively and properly we must have a recipe to follow. In the book name How to design programs by Matthias Felleisen.and the co-worker, the idea of design recipe has been stated very elegenlty asLearning to design programs is like learning to play soccer. A imposter must learn to trap a ball, to dribble with a ball, to pass, and to shoot a ball. Once the imposter knows those basic skills, the next goals are to learn to play a position, to play certain strategies, to choose among practicable strategies, and, on occasion, to create variations of a strategy because none fits.