Lecture1a - Introduction to programming Flashcards
What is a computer?
A programmable electronic device that accepts input, performs operations, presents output, and stores data. It includes hardware and software.
What is the role of the CPU?
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) processes instructions stored in memory using transistors to execute operations.
What is the smallest unit of memory?
A bit (1 or 0). Eight bits form a byte, the minimum storage unit in a computer.
What are is an encoding scheme and give examples?
An encoding scheme is a set of rules to convert data into a specific format for efficient storage, transmission, and processing.
- ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange): Uses numeric
codes to represent characters. - UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format - 8-bit): Encodes all possible
characters in Unicode using one to four bytes. - Base64: Encodes binary data into a text format using 64 different ASCII characters.
What are the main parts of a computer?
CPU, Main Memory (RAM), and Storage (Hard Drive).
What is a program?
A sequence of instructions executed by a computer to achieve a specific result.
Why learn programming?
It develops problem-solving skills, provides control over powerful machines, and is a valuable, marketable skill.
What are low-level languages?
Machine code (binary) and assembly language, which are close to hardware, hardware specific and execute quickly.
What are high-level languages?
Languages like C++, Java, and Python that resemble English and must be translated into machine code.
How is high-level language translated into machine code?
Through compiling (converting all at once) or interpreting (converting as needed).
What are the two main programming paradigms?
Procedural (sequential execution of code) and Object-Oriented (organizing code into objects with state and behavior).
What is Java, and when was it developed?
A programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in 1991, first released in 1995, and now maintained by Oracle.
