Funda of programming mid

What is the most important skill for a computer scientist?

• A. To think like a computer.

• B. To be able to write code really well.

• C. To be able to solve problems.

• D. To be really good at math.

An algorithm is:

• A. A solution to a problem that can be solved by a computer.

• B. A step by step list of instructions that if followed exactly will solve the problem under consideration.

• C. A series of instructions implemented in a programming language.

• D. A special kind of notation used by computer scientists.

Answer explanation

✔️ Algorithms are like recipes: they must be followed exactly, they must be clear and unambiguous, and they must end.

Source code is another name for:

• A. the instructions in a program, stored in a file.

• B. the language that you are programming in (e.g., Python).

• C. the environment/tool in which you are programming.

• D. the number (or "code") that you must input at the top of each program to tell the computer how to execute your program.

Answer explanation

✔️ The file that contains the instructions written in the high level language is called the source code file.

What is the difference between a high-level programming language and a low-level programming language?

• A. It is high-level if you are standing and low-level if you are sitting.
  

• B. It is high-level if you are programming for a computer and low-level if you are programming for a phone or mobile device.

• C. It is high-level if the program must be processed before it can run, and low-level if the computer can execute it without additional processing.

• D. It is high-level if it easy to program in and is very short; it is low-level if it is really hard to program in and the programs are really long.

Answer explanation

✔️ Python is a high level language but must be interpreted into machine code (binary) before it can be executed.

Pick the best replacements for 1 and 2 in the following sentence: When comparing compilers and interpreters, a compiler is like (1)______ while an interpreter is like (2)______.

• A. 1 = a process, 2 = a function

• B. 1 = translating an entire book, 2 = translating a line at a time

• C. 1 = software, 2 = hardware

• D. 1 = object code, 2 = byte code

Answer explanation

Compilers take the entire source code and produce object code or the executable and interpreters execute the code line by line.

A program is:

• A. a sequence of instructions that specifies how to perform a computation.

• B. something you follow along at a play or concert.

• C. a computation, even a symbolic computation.

• D. the same thing as an algorithm.

Answer explanation

✔️ It is just step-by-step instructions that the computer can understand and execute. Programs often implement algorithms, but note that algorithms are typically less precise than programs and do not have to be written in a programming language.

Debugging is:

• A. tracking down programming errors and correcting them.

• B. removing all the bugs from your house.

• C. finding all the bugs in the program.

• D. fixing the bugs in the program.

Who or what typically finds syntax errors?

• A. The programmer.

• B. The compiler / interpreter.

• C. The computer.

• D. The teacher / instructor.

Answer explanation

✔️ The compiler and / or interpreter is a computer program that determines if your program is written in a way that can be translated into machine language for execution.

Who or what typically finds runtime errors?

• A. The programmer.

• B. The interpreter.

• C. The computer.

• D. The teacher / instructor.

Answer explanation

✔️ If an instruction is illegal to perform at that point in the execution, the interpreter will stop with a message describing the exception.

Who or what typically finds semantic errors?

• A. The programmer.

• B. The interpreter/compiler

• C. The computer.

• D. The teacher / instructor.

Answer explanation

✔️ You must fully understand the problem so the you can tell if your program properly solves it.