Algorithms¶
Algorithm: a sequence of instructions to accomplish a task or solve a problem
Programs and Programming Languages¶
Program: a computer program is a series of instructions for the computer to execute.
An algorithm is an idea and the program is a concrete expression of that idea.
Programming Language: a set of rules that define which programs are legal
Like natural languages, programming languages have a grammar and syntax - they describe how instructions are constructed
An analogy: Music¶
Algorithm: "Beethoven's 5th"
Program: This arrangement
Programming Langauge: Modern sheet music notation
Components of Computer Programs¶
- Basic values: 500, 3.14, ...
- Basic operations: +, -, /, //, *, **, ...
- Sequencing: the order instructions are carried out
- Variables: names we give to basic values
- Conditionals: if …. then ...
- Repetition: do X ten times ...
- Subroutines: helper algorithms
- Inputs: initial values that are given to an algorithm
- Outputs: values that are produced by the algorithm
Why Python?¶
- It's a high-level programming language with simple syntax
- It's widely used in industry - in software development, data science, and research
- It's versatile and can be used for a variety of paradigms/styles
- imperative programming
- object-oriented programming
- functional programming
- It has an easy to use interactive shell environment
In [1]:
print("Hello world!")