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Week 1 What is a computer? • A computer is a device for carrying out certain types of algorithms What is an algorithm? • An algorithm is a set of instructions for solving a problem. What is a computer programming language? • A computer programming language is a “language” for describing algorithms to computers. A computer language is a method of allowing the user to describe to a computer what we want it to do. What is a computer program? • A computer program is a description of a single algorithm and/or problem. What is a computer software? • A computer software is a collection of programs that carry out a similar task. Essentially, computers understand binary, which is a sequence of zeros and ones. Most programs have inputs and outputs, although some programs have just output. • Source Code The computer files that contain a computer program • Snippet A small segment of a source code • Statements A statement is a command that the programmer gives to the computer, a computer program is made up of many statements. Downloaded by Afonso Luis Fialho Brito (afonso.fialho.brito@hotmail.com) lOMoARcPSD|6255760 • Blocks Sets of statements that perform a specific task • Variables Symbols whose value can change during the execution of the program • Reserved Words Special computer programming instructions which cannot be used for variable names, class names, method names. • Syntax The computer equivalent of grammar, programming languages have rules governing how statements can be used and written. • Running a program Instructing a computer to carry out he instructions of a program. • Compilation The process of converting program code to something the computer understands and can run (machine code- binary). All programs must be syntactically correct and compiled before they can be executed.