Unit 3: Intro to Programming

Abstraction

• a simplified representation of something more complex; allows you to hide details to help you manage complexity, focus on relevant concepts, and reason about problems at a higher level.
• An extra piece of information that you pass to the function to customize it for a specific need.
• a classic method for learning programming with commands to control movement and drawing of an on-screen robot
• Application Program Interface: a collection of commands made available to a programmer
• Putting commands in correct order so computers can read the commands.

Algorithm

• A precise sequence of instructions for processes that can be executed by a computer
• To repeat in order to achieve, or get closer to, a desired goal.
• Application Program Interface: a collection of commands made available to a programmer
• Putting commands in correct order so computers can read the commands.
• Repeating actions that have a predetermined beginning, end, and increment (step interval)

API

• Application Program Interface: a collection of commands made available to a programmer
• A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.
• the optimal time a program takes to run on a computer, the optimal time or number of people required to create, the optimal number of resources required to run, etc
• a classic method for learning programming with commands to control movement and drawing of an on-screen robot
• aka "stepwise design", a problem solving approach in which you break down a system to gain insight into the sub-systems that make it up.

Blocks

• pieces of code that you use to solve a problem.
• a classic method for learning programming with commands to control movement and drawing of an on-screen robot
• Putting commands in correct order so computers can read the commands.
• A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.
• the optimal time a program takes to run on a computer, the optimal time or number of people required to create, the optimal number of resources required to run, etc

Documentation

• a description of the behavior of a command, function, library, API, etc.
• pieces of code that you use to solve a problem.
• a collection of commands / functions, typically with a shared purpose
• To repeat in order to achieve, or get closer to, a desired goal.
• A base-16 number system that uses sixteen distinct symbols 0-9 and A-F to represent numbers from 0 to 15.

Efficiency

• the optimal time a program takes to run on a computer, the optimal time or number of people required to create, the optimal number of resources required to run, etc
• parts of a problem's solution (the overall goal); helps you focus on figuring out which block(s) you need rather than trying to solve the whole problem at once.
• A precise sequence of instructions for processes that can be executed by a computer
• A programming language that captures only the most primitive operations available to a machine. Anything that a computer can do can be represented with combinations of low level commands.
• The action of doing something over and over again.

For Loop

• Repeating actions that have a predetermined beginning, end, and increment (step interval)
• a named group of programming instructions; reusable abstractions that reduce the complexity of writing and maintaining programs
• A base-16 number system that uses sixteen distinct symbols 0-9 and A-F to represent numbers from 0 to 15.
• A precise sequence of instructions for processes that can be executed by a computer
• Application Program Interface: a collection of commands made available to a programmer

Function

• a named group of programming instructions; reusable abstractions that reduce the complexity of writing and maintaining programs
• Repeating actions that have a predetermined beginning, end, and increment (step interval)
• To repeat in order to achieve, or get closer to, a desired goal.
• parts of a problem's solution (the overall goal); helps you focus on figuring out which block(s) you need rather than trying to solve the whole problem at once.
• a description of the behavior of a command, function, library, API, etc.

Hexadeximal

• A base-16 number system that uses sixteen distinct symbols 0-9 and A-F to represent numbers from 0 to 15.
• a collection of commands / functions, typically with a shared purpose
• A programming language that captures only the most primitive operations available to a machine. Anything that a computer can do can be represented with combinations of low level commands.
• pieces of code that you use to solve a problem.
• To repeat in order to achieve, or get closer to, a desired goal.

High level programming language

• A programming language with many commands and features designed to make common tasks easier to program; encapsulated as combinations of low level commands.
• A programming language that captures only the most primitive operations available to a machine. Anything that a computer can do can be represented with combinations of low level commands.
• A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.
• The action of doing something over and over again.
• a classic method for learning programming with commands to control movement and drawing of an on-screen robot