Introduction to Computer Programming
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Questions and Answers

What does the book aim to teach you to think like?

a computer scientist

What is the single most important skill for a computer scientist?

  • Mathematics
  • Problem solving (correct)
  • Natural science
  • Engineering

    • Define 'problem-solving' in the context of computer science.

    the ability to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and express a solution clearly and accurately

    What is the title of the first chapter in the book?

    <p>The way of the program</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What inspired the author to write the book How to Think Like a Computer Scientist?

    <p>teaching an introductory programming class in Java</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the original title of the book before it was renamed to Think Python?

    <p>How to Think Like a Computer Scientist</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the goal of the book Think Python according to the author?

    <p>To focus on programming concepts rather than a specific programming language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The second edition of Think Python has been updated to Python 2.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who encouraged getting rid of semi-colons and cleaning up the use of 'argument' and 'parameter'?

    <p>Charles Thayer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who pointed out a twisted piece of logic in Chapter 3?

    <p>Roger Sperberg</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a program?

    <p>A sequence of instructions that specifies how to perform a computation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Who found a brain-o in a dictionary example? Wim _______

    <p>Champagne</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following are basic instructions that appear in almost every programming language? (Select all that apply)

    <p>repetition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Mark E.Casida is good at spotting repeated words. (True/False)

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why might it be recommended for beginners to start running Python in a browser?

    <p>To avoid the pain of learning system administration and programming simultaneously.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following individuals with their contributions:

    <p>Andrew Turner = Spotted an error in Chapter 8 Alessandra = Clear up some Turtle confusion Jianhua Liu = Sent in a long list of corrections Andrew Cheung = Pointed out two instances of 'use before def'</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Python 3 is written with print function which requires the use of parentheses.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The first program traditionally written in a new language is called '___'.

    <p>Hello, World!</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process of finding and correcting errors in a program?

    <p>Debugging</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Define the term 'interpreter' in programming.

    <p>A program that reads another program and executes it.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A bug is an error in a ____________.

    <p>program</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Match the following programming language types with their descriptions:

    <p>High-level language = Designed to be easy for humans to read and write. Low-level language = Designed to be easy for a computer to run; also called 'machine language' or 'assembly language'. Natural language = Languages spoken by people that evolved naturally. Formal language = Languages designed for specific purposes like representing mathematical ideas or computer programs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe wrapping a piece of code up in a function?

    <p>Encapsulation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the benefits of encapsulation?

    <p>Provides documentation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used when adding a parameter to a function to make it more general?

    <p>Generalization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of errors are syntax errors, runtime errors, and semantic errors?

    <p>Three kinds of errors can occur in a program: syntax errors, runtime errors, and semantic errors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of language are formal languages often considered to be?

    <p>Dense</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Comments start with the # symbol in Python.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    ___ are notes in a program that explain what the code is doing in natural language.

    <p>Comments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of adding comments to a program?

    <p>To explain in natural language what the program is doing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What creates a function object in Python?

    <p>Defining a function</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the syntax for calling a function in Python?

    <p>FunctionName()</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the 'repeat_lyrics' function?

    <p>To repeat the lyrics of a song</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when a function call is made in Python?

    <p>The flow jumps to the body of the function, runs the statements there, and then comes back to pick up where it left off.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a fruitful function in Python return?

    <p>A return value</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the definition of a function?

    <p>A named sequence of statements that performs some useful operation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a local variable?

    <p>A variable defined inside a function that can only be used inside that function.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the return value of a function?

    <p>The result of a function.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a void function return?

    <p>None</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A function call consists of the function name followed by an __________ list in parentheses.

    <p>argument</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the dot notation in Python?

    <p>To call a function in another module by specifying the module name followed by a dot and the function name.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A module in Python contains a collection of related classes.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Preface

    • The book "Think Python" by Allen Downey is in its 2nd edition, version 2.4.0.
    • The book was originally written for a Java class, but was translated into Python by Jeff Elkner.
    • The book focuses on teaching programming, not just the Python language.
    • The book is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

    The Author's Goals

    • Keep the book short and concise.
    • Minimize jargon and define technical terms.
    • Build gradually, avoiding "trap doors" where students may get lost.

    Book History

    • The first version of the book was written in 1999.
    • The book was released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
    • The Python version of the book was published in 2001.
    • The book has since been updated to Python 3.

    Acknowledgments

    • Many contributors have helped improve the book.
    • Contributors include Jeff Elkner, Chris Meyers, and over 100 others.

    Chapter 0: Preface

    • The book covers introductory programming concepts.
    • The book is designed to be used in a course or for self-study.
    • The book uses Python 3.

    I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.### The Way of the Program

    • The goal of the book is to teach students to think like computer scientists, combining features of mathematics, engineering, and natural science.
    • Problem-solving is a crucial skill for computer scientists, which involves formulating problems, thinking creatively about solutions, and expressing solutions clearly and accurately.

    What is a Program?

    • A program is a sequence of instructions that specifies how to perform a computation.
    • The computation can be mathematical, symbolic, or graphical.
    • Basic instructions in programming languages include:
      • Input: Get data from the keyboard, file, network, or device.
      • Output: Display data on the screen, save it in a file, send it over the network, etc.
      • Math: Perform basic mathematical operations like addition and multiplication.
      • Conditional execution: Check for certain conditions and run the appropriate code.
      • Repetition: Perform some action repeatedly, usually with some variation.

    Running Python

    • To start, you can run Python in a browser to avoid installation issues.
    • The book recommends using PythonAnywhere.
    • There are two versions of Python: Python 2 and Python 3, with minor differences for beginners.
    • The Python interpreter is a program that reads and executes Python code.
    • When starting the interpreter, you'll see output with information about the interpreter and operating system.

    The First Program

    • The first program is traditionally "Hello, World!" which displays the words "Hello, World!".
    • In Python, it's written as: &gt;&gt;&gt; print('Hello, World!')
    • This is an example of a print statement, which displays the result on the screen.

    Let me know if you'd like me to add or clarify anything!### Introduction to Python Programming

    • The print function is used to display a message, and the quotation marks are not included in the result.
    • Python provides operators that represent computations, such as +, -, *, and /, which perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, respectively.
    • The ** operator performs exponentiation, and the / operator performs division, which can result in a floating-point number.

    Values and Types

    • A value is one of the basic things a program works with, like a letter, number, or string.
    • Values belong to different types, such as:
      • Integers (e.g., 2, type int)
      • Floating-point numbers (e.g., 42.0, type float)
      • Strings (e.g., 'Hello, World!', type str)
    • The type function can be used to determine the type of a value.

    Formal and Natural Languages

    • Formal languages are designed by people for specific applications, such as programming languages.
    • Natural languages are the languages people speak, which evolved naturally.
    • Key differences between formal and natural languages:
      • Formal languages have strict syntax rules, while natural languages have ambiguity and redundancy.
      • Formal languages are designed to be unambiguous and literal, while natural languages use idioms and metaphors.

    Debugging

    • Debugging is the process of finding and correcting errors in a program.
    • Debugging is like managing an employee with strengths and weaknesses, and it's important to engage with the problem without letting emotions interfere.

    Glossary

    • Problem solving: the process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing it.
    • High-level language: a programming language like Python that is easy for humans to read and write.
    • Low-level language: a programming language that is easy for computers to run.
    • Portability: a property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.
    • Interpreter: a program that reads another program and executes it.
    • Prompt: characters displayed by the interpreter to indicate that it is ready to take input from the user.
    • Program: a set of instructions that specifies a computation.
    • Print statement: an instruction that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on the screen.
    • Operator: a special symbol that represents a simple computation.
    • Value: one of the basic units of data that a program manipulates.
    • Type: a category of values.

    Variables, Expressions, and Statements

    • A variable is a name that refers to a value.
    • An assignment statement creates a new variable and gives it a value.
    • Variable names can be as long as you like, but they can't begin with a number, and they can't be keywords.
    • Expressions are combinations of values, variables, and operators.
    • Statements are units of code that have an effect, like creating a variable or displaying a value.
    • Script mode is a way to run Python code from a file, rather than interacting with the interpreter directly.

    Order of Operations

    • The order of operations in Python is:
      1. Parentheses
      2. Exponentiation
      3. Multiplication and Division
      4. Addition and Subtraction
    • Operators with the same precedence are evaluated from left to right.

    String Operations

    • The + operator performs string concatenation, which means it joins the strings end-to-end.
    • The * operator performs string repetition, which means it repeats the string a specified number of times.
    • String concatenation and repetition are different from integer addition and multiplication.

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    This quiz covers the basics of computer programming, including the concept of a program, basic instructions, and computations.

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