ESci 126a

Computer Fundamentals and Programming

Programming Concepts
ESci 126 Computer Fundamentals and Programming
Introduction to Programming What is a Computer?
A machine programmed to carry out sequences of operations automatically.
Types of Computer?
1. Portable Computers (Smartphones, Tablets, Wearables)
2. Personal Computers (Desktops, Laptops, Netbooks)
3. Workstations (High-end Computers - in decline)
4. Embedded Systems (Specialized Computers, Smart Appliances, Cars)
5. Mainframes (Servers used in Commercial and Government sectors) 6.
Supercomputers (Specialized use in Research) What is a Computer?
Brain of the computer Memory – temporarily stores data that it needs to process #1
Data refers to raw, unprocessed facts, figures, symbols, or its representations, it may
convey no meaning by its own.
When one or more data is transformed, interpreted, and contextualized, it becomes
information.
Input → Process → Output
(data) (algorithm) (information)
#2 Input refers to the data fed into and processed by a computer, then as a result of,
the computer may produce an output.
Input devices includes pointing devices, touch devices, keyboards, microphones,
cameras, scanners, and different sensors.
An output can be in the form of the blinking of LED lights, different computer
text/graphics, haptic feedback, audio signals, or printed
Input → Process → Output
(data) (algorithm) (information)
#3 Computer Program refers to a set of instructions that tells a computer what to
do.
A software application, or simply an "app", is a computer program that is designed
to perform specific tasks such as utility, productivity, communication, social
networking, navigation, health, fitness, e-commerce, travel, and for other purposes
#5 Character refers to a digital representation of a single text, such as alphabets,
numbers, symbols, emojis, scripts, and other printable and non-printable data.
#6 Bit refers to a binary digit, the smallest unit that can be represented or stored by
classical computers and digital systems.
A byte is a group of 8-bits used to represent a single character in a computer.
1 Kilobyte (KB) = 1024 bytes
1 Megabyte (MB) = 1024 KB
1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB
1 Terabyte (TB) = 1024 GB
#7 CPU refers to the Central Processing Unit which performs complex calculations
to make a computer operate functionally.
Modern and higher-end CPUs (microprocessors) are used for computers that
requires higher compute power such as in gaming, animation, video editing, data
analysis, and artificial intelligence.
Random Access Memory where data
#8 RAM refers to the and instructions are copied before the CPU processes it.
The contents of a RAM will be erased once the electricity is cut-off from the source.
Bigger RAMs are matched with faster CPUs to optimize the speed and efficiency of
computers.
#9 External Storage refers to a secondary memory storage where files can be
permanently stored unless forcibly deleted.
CDs/DVDs, flash drives, HDD, and SSD are some of the examples of an external
storage.

Computer Program
A collection of instructions that can be executed by a computer to perform a specific
task.
Question...
How did a computer (or an app, smartphone, etc.) simplified your life, as a
person/student? Programming Languages
A vocabulary containing a set of grammatical rules intended to convey instructions
to a computer to perform specific tasks.
• Machine Language
• Assembly Language
• Procedural Language
Examples include Python, C++, Java, C#

Algorithm
A set of rules that precisely defines a sequence of operations.

Algorithm
• Logical process by which a problem can be solved or a decision made, it
can be presented through Flowchart and Pseudocode
• Algorithms are used extensively in computer programming to arrive at a
solution for a problem Types of Algorithms
● Sequence
• Linear type of programming or algorithms.
● Branching (Selection)
• Example: Write an algorithm to find the greater number between two
numbers.
Start
Read(Input A and B)
If A greater than A then C = A
If B greater than A then C = B
Print C
End
Types of Algorithms
● Loop (Repetition Structure)
• Unbounded – number of iterations depends on the eventuality that the
termination condition is satisfied.
• Bounded – refer to those whose number of iterations is known beforehand.
• Infinite – trip around the loop.
Algorithm
Guide when developing an Algorithm:
1. Identify the problem
2. Determine the input and the processes
3. Write down the algorithm
Problem: Calculate the average of three numbers Input:
Three numbers (a, b, and c) Process:
Add the three numbers together Divide the sum by 3 to get the average Output:
The average of the three numbers
Conditional Statement
It refers to statements that will result to a Boolean value, which is either True or
False.
Let’s Check
• Today is Thursday
• Letter A is a number
• The temperature is 28 °C
• Elon Musk invented diesel engine
NOTE: Actual programming constructs follows specific rules of how to write
conditional statements, this will discussed in the succeeding topics.
Relational Operators
An operator that tests some kind of relation between two entities.
It refers to the symbols used to compare the relationship between two values.
Logical Operators-Allow a program to make a decision based on multiple conditions.
It refers to keywords used to perform chained operations on multiple or complex
conditions.
and or not
Logical Operators
1. Enable fire alarm, if smoke is detected AND level is greater than 5.
temperature is above 50 °C
1. Turn OFF device, if OR device is idle.
available
1. Enable generator, if power is NOT.
Logical Operators

Example of a Conditional Statements that uses any relational and logical operators.
X = 10
Y =5
If x > y and x % 2 == 0
Therefore, x is greater than y and x is an even number.
Otherwise, either x is not greater than y or x is not an even number .
What is a Flowchart?
It refers to the visual representation that illustrates the step-by-step sequence
of actions, decisions, and processes necessary to complete or solve a specific
task.
Flowchart symbols
Initialization Block
Declaration refers to the mentioning what variables are being read for later usage.
Initialization refers to setting of initial values to a specific variable.
NOTE: Only one entering and one exiting arrow is allowed for each initialization
block.
Advantages of using flowchart
• Easier for the programmer to explain the logic of the program
• Flowcharts provide a strong documentation in the overall documentation of
the software system.
• A flowchart is very helpful in the process of debugging a program.

What is Pseudocode
• Pseudocode is another programming analysis tool, which is used for planning program logic.
• “Pseudo” means imitation or false, and “code” refers to the instructions written in a programming
language.
• So, it is an imitation of actual computer instructions.
What is Pseudocode 2

What is Pseudocoding
It refers to the
method of designing algorithms using a simplified
and human-readable representation of a code.
NOTE: There is no strict or standardized rule of what specific words are to be used when writing
pseudocodes, it should also not be bounded to a specific language used in programming.
What is Pseudocode 3

Sequence Logic
Sequence logic is used for performing instructions one after another in sequence.
Process 1 Process 2
Pseudocode
What is Pseudocode/Sequence Logic 4

Selection Logic
Selection logic is used for selecting the proper path, out of two or more alternative paths, in the
program logic
It uses control structures called IF.....THEN, IF.....
THEN......ELSE .
IF condition
THEN Process 1 ELSE Process 2
ENDIF
What is Pseudocode/Selection Logic 5

Iteration (Looping) Logic

Iteration logic is used for producing loops in program logic, when one or more instructions may be
executed several times, depending on some condition.
• It uses two control structures, called DO...WHILE and REPEAT....UNTIL.
What is Pseudocode/Iteration Logic 6

Pseudocode
• SET: Preparing the variable to be used.
• READ / INPUT: use this when asking input from the user or reading data
from the storage.
• COMPUTE: when you want to compute something or performs an operation.
• DISPLAY / PRINT: use to display the output.
• IF... THEN / ELSE: decision-making process.
• REPEAT... UNTIL or DO... WHILE: when there is an iteration/looping
Python Basics Lesson 2

Outline:
1. Input/PrintFunction
2. OutputFormatting
3. ImportFunction
4. String Operations
5. List Methods
6. Slicing
7. Operators and Basic Mathematical Function
8. Built-in Functions

Input/Output (I/O)
The purpose of a program is to get an input, process it, optionally store it, and display the results
afterwards. Python has functions that allow the programmer to get user input and display messages.

Input Function
• The input() function takes input from the user and returns it.
• To store a value, it can be assigned to a variable using the syntax below.
<variable> = input(<message>) Example:
value = input("Enter a value: ")

Input Function
Example:
number = input(“Enter a number: “)
Enter a number: 10 10
Note that the inputted value 10 is a string. You need to convert this into a number. Use int() or float()
functions.

Input Function
number = int(input("Enter a number: "))
the value must be compatible when in comes of conversion

Print Function
• In order to display something, the print() function can be used.
Example:
value = input("Enter a value: ")
print(value)

Output Formatting
Sometimes we would like to format our output to make it look attractive. This can be done by using the
str.format() method. This method is visible to any string object.

Output Formatting
For example: x = 5; y = 10
print(“The value of x is {} and y is {}”.format(x,y)) Output:
The value of x is 5 and y is 10.
The curly braces {} are used as placeholders.

Output Formatting
Another example:
print(‘ I love {0} and {1} ‘ .format(‘bread’, ’butter’)) print( ‘ I love {1} and {0}’ .format(‘bread’, ’butter’))
Output:
I love bread and butter I love butter and bread
The curly braces {} are used as placeholders. We can specify the
order in which they are printed by using numbers (tuple index).

Output Formatting
We can also use keyword arguments to format the string.
print(‘Hello {name}, {adj}’.format(adj =
‘Handsome’, name = ‘John’))
Result:
Hello John, Handsome

Output Formatting
Another way to format:
Example: x =5
y = 10
print(f“The value of x is {x} and y is {y}”)
Output: The value of x is 5 and y is 10

Output Formatting
Example: x =5
y = 10
total = x + y
print(f"The sum of the two integer is {total}")
Output: The sum of the two integer is 15

Output Formatting

How input() works in Python

Example 1:
#Get input from user
inputString = input(“ ”)
print('The inputted String is:', inputString) Or:
print(f“The inputted String is: {inputString}”)

How input() works in Python

Example 2:
#Taking two integers from users and adding them.
#Taking num1 from user as int
num1 = input('Please Enter First Number:') num1 = int(num1)
#Taking number 2 from user as int
num2 = input('Please Enter Second Number:') num2 = int(num2)
addition = num1 + num2 print(addition)

How input() works in Python

Example 2:
#Taking two integers from users and adding them. #Taking num1 from user as int
num1 = int(input('Please Enter First Number:'))
#Taking number 2 from user as int
num2 = int(input('Please Enter Second Number:'))
addition = num1 + num2
print(addition)

How input() works in Python

Example 3:
#Taking two integers from users and adding them. #Taking num1 from user as float
num1 = float(input('Please Enter First Number:'))
#Taking number 2 from user as float
num2 = float(input('Please Enter Second Number:’)) addition = num1 + num2
#to round off float, use round() Function print(round(addition,2))

Import in Python
• Definitions inside a module can be imported to another module or the interactive interpreter in
Python.
• We use the import keyword to do this. Example:
import math
print(math.pi)

Import in Python
import math pi = math.pi
print(f"The value of pi is {pi}.")
result = math.factorial(5) print(f"5 factorial: {result}")

Import in Python
import math
pi = math.pi
print("The value of pi is", pi)
result = math.factorial(5) print("5 factorial: ", result)

Import in Python
• We can also import some specific attributes and functions only, using the from keyword.
Example:
from math import pi
pi

Import in Python
Example:
from statistics import mean, median
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] average = mean(numbers) middle = median(numbers)
print(f"The mean is: {average}") print(f"The median is: {middle}")

Import in Python
Math Module:
https://docs.python.org/3/library/math.html

String Operations

String Operations
NOTE: Applicable on strings only.

String Operations
NOTE: Applicable on strings only.

String Operations
NOTE: Applicable on strings only.

String Operations
the strip() method is a string method that returns a copy of the string with leading and trailing
whitespace removed.

String Operations
the upper() method is a string method that returns a copy of the string with all characters converted to
uppercase.

String Operations
the lower() method is a string method that returns a copy of the string with all characters converted to
lowercase.

String Operations
the capitalize() method is a string method that returns a copy of the string with the first character
converted to uppercase and all other characters converted to lowercase.

String Operations
the title() method is a string method that returns a copy of the string with the first character of each
word capitalized and the remaining characters in lowercase.

String Operations

String Operations

List Methods
List can be modified by adding or removing a value.
Other methods can also be applied to further manipulate its contents.

List Methods
inventory = [] # create a list # Add a new item
inventory.append("screw")
# insert a new item at a specific index
inventory.insert(0, "hammer")

List Methods
inventory = [“hammer", “screw"]
# remove at specific index
inventory.pop(1)
# remove the first occurrence
inventory.remove(“hammer")

List Methods
inventory = [“hammer", “screw”]
# count total occurrences
count = inventory.count("hammer") print(f"Occurrence: {count}")
# get index of first occurence
index = inventory.index("screw") print(f"Index: {index}")
# get the total items in the list; using len() function
print(len(inventory))

List Methods
inventory = [“hammer", “screw”]
# change value on specific index
inventory[1] = "screw driver"
# access value on specific index
print(inventory[1])

List Methods
inventory = [“hammer", “screw driver”]
more_items = ["pliers", "tie wire"]
# extend list with more items
 inventory.extend(more_items)
# clear all contents
inventory.clear()

Slicing
What is Slicing?
A way to get values in an ordered sequence.
NOTE: Applicable on Strings, Lists, and Tuples only

Slicing

Slicing

Operators and
Basic Mathematical Function

What are operators in python?

• Operators are special symbols in Python that carry out arithmetic or logical computation.
• The value that the operator operates on is called the operand.
Example:
a = 2 +3
Output: 5

Arithmetic operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical operations like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, etc.

Arithmetic operators

Arithmetic operators
Example
Note: we can also use this:
a=x+y
print(f"x + y = {a}")
x = 15 y=4
print('x + y =',x+y) # Output: x + y = 19
print('x - y =',x-y) # Output: x - y = 11
print('x * y =',x*y) # Output: x * y = 60

Arithmetic operators
Example
x = 15 y=4
print('x / y =',x/y) # Output: x / y = 3.75
print('x // y =',x//y) # Output: x // y = 3
print('x ** y =',x**y) # Output: x ** y = 50625

Arithmetic operators
Increment
age = 5
age += 1 # increment print(age)
Output: 6

Comparison operators
Comparison operators are used to compare values. It returns either True or False according to the
condition.

Comparison operators

Comparison operators
Example
Note: we can also use this:
a=x>y
print(f"x > y = {a}")
x = 10 y = 12
# Output: x > y is False
print('x > y is',x>y) # Output: x < y is True
print('x < y is',x<y)
# Output: x == y is False
print('x == y is',x==y)

Comparison operators
Example
x = 10 y = 12
# Output: x != y is True
print('x != y is',x!=y) # Output: x >= y is False
print('x >= y is',x>=y)
# Output: x <= y is True
print('x <= y is',x<=y)

Assignment operators
Assignment operators are used in Python to assign values to variables.

Assignment operators

Sample Program
1.Compute the area of a triangle given the length of its three sides: a,b,c w ith formulas:

Sample Program
NOTE:
In the str.format method, the last placeholder has a value of :0.2f, was used to format the number of
decimal places to be displayed. It follows this syntax:
{<index>:<format-specifier>}
import
math
a
= int(input ('Side a: '))
b
= int(input ('Side b: '))
c
= int(input ('Side c: '))
s
A
= (a + b + c) / 2
= math.sqrt(s*(s-a) * (s-b) * (s-c))
print
sides:
(f"The area of a triangle given the length of three
\
\na = {a}\nb = {b}\nc = {c}\nis: {A:0.2f}")

Sample Program
2. Calculating the Area and Perimeter of a Rectangle

Sample Program
w = int(input ('Width: '))
l = int(input (‘Length: '))
A=w*l
print(f"The area of a rectangle is {A}")

Sample Program
w = int(input ('Width: '))
l = int(input ('Length: '))
P = 2 * (w + l)
print(f"The perimeter of a rectangle is
{P}")

Sample Program
w = int(input ('Width: '))
l = int(input ('Lenght: '))
A=w*l
P = 2 * (w + l)
print(f"Area of the rectangle: {A}\
\nPerimeter of a rectangle: {P}")

Built-in Functions
These are pre-loaded "commands" that simplifies the work of any programmers.

Built-in Functions

Built-in Functions
NOTE: Used on strings that are numeric in nature.

Built-in Functions
NOTE: Used on Strings, Lists, Tuples, and Sets
NOTE: Used on Lists, Tuples, and Sets containing numeric values only.