PROGRAMMING

PROGRAMMING

1. Python

   • IDLE
     • Integrated Development Environment
     • Two Modes
       • Interactive Mode
         • Let's you see your results as you type them
       • Script Mode
         • Let's you save your program and run it later
   • Variables
     • A variable name can contain only numbers, letters and underscores
     • A variable name cannot start with a number
     • You can't use a Python "reserved word" as a variable name - for examples class is a reserved word so class = input() will result in a syntax error
     • To make programs easier to understand, use meaningful names for your variables, such as 'firstName' rather than 'var1'
     • A variable is a location in memory in which you can temporarily store text or numbers
   • Comments are useful to document your program and make it easier to understand your code
     • They do not affect the way your program runs
     • Comments allow a programmer in a later date to understand a program or code
   • Functions are special built-in routines that do a specific job
     • Functions appear in purple
       • print() and input() are examples of functions
   • Computer Bugs
     • Bug - an error in a program

2. Decomposition

   • When there is a problem, the problem is broken down into smaller, simpler steps
     • These are called algorithms
     • Sequence
       • A pattern which follows a particular rule