Introduction to Programming

What this lesson covers

Introduction to Programming is a 10-part Class 7 Computer Science lesson. Each part makes one point and then hands over to the next, so it can be read in a sitting or picked up again at the part you stopped on. It defines the idea in plain words before using it, works through an example step by step, breaks the topic into its parts and compares them, shows where it is used outside the textbook, names the mistakes that cost marks in an exam, ends with a recap of what to remember.

How it begins

A program is a sequence of instructions a computer can execute. Writing one has two distinct stages, and confusing them causes most beginner frustration: The algorithm, working out what steps solve the problem. This is the hard part. The code: writing those steps in a language the computer accepts. This is the easier part. Plan on paper first. Debugging a wrong plan written in correct code is miserable.

The 10 parts

1. A program is instructions you can run
2. Variables and data types
3. Conditions and comparison
4. Loops, and the infinite loop trap
5. Functions
6. Debugging methodically
7. What programming gives you
8. Where it usually goes wrong
9. What to remember
10. Watch one worked through