Lesson 1: Introduction

Introduction

Programming fundamentals are of utmost importance in today's digital age. By mastering the basics of programming, you gain a valuable set of skills that can benefit you in various ways.

Programming fundamentals foster critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. You learn to analyze problems, break them down into smaller components, and devise logical solutions. This kind of thinking is applicable not only in programming but also in other areas of life, enabling you to tackle challenges effectively.

Programming promotes creativity and innovation. You can use your programming skills to bring ideas to life, whether it's developing your own mobile apps, designing websites, or creating interactive projects. This hands-on experience allows you to express your creativity and explore your potential as a digital creator.

Additionally, programming enhances computational thinking skills. By understanding how computers work and how code is run, you can develop a deeper understanding of the digital world around you. This knowledge equips you to make informed decisions, navigate technology responsibly, and be an active participant in the digital age.

Furthermore, programming opens doors to future career opportunities. As technology continues to advance, there is a growing demand for skilled programmers in various industries.

What is a Computer Program?

A computer program is a set of instructions or code that tells a computer what to do. It is written in a programming language that the computer can understand and run. A computer program can perform a wide variety of tasks, from simple calculations to complex data analysis or game development. Programs can be created for a specific purpose, such as a word processor or web browser, or they can be designed to be flexible and adaptable, capable of performing a variety of tasks depending on the user's input. After a program is written, it can be compiled into a format that the computer can understand and run. We will give examples using Python.

Install Python

To install Python:

Download the latest version of Python from https://www.python.org/downloads/
An .exe installation file is saved to your downloads folder
Double click the installation file
Open a command prompt by pressing start and typing cmd.
At the command prompt, type python and press Enter. If you see a version number and a ">>>" prompt, your install was successful

Hello World tutorial in Python on Youtube

The first example is the “Hello World” program.

At the prompt, type print(“Hello World”) and press Enter.

The text “Hello World” is printed to the screen.

Next, we print using a program instead of using the interactive Python console.

Press Ctrl+Z to exit the Python console.
Create a folder on your desktop called python examples
Open your favourite text editor and type the same command as used earlier: print(“Hello World”)

Notepad++ is a free editor with functionality that is useful when writing code.

Save the file as hello_world.py. This is now a python program as all python programs all end in ‘py’.
Run the program we have just written. To do this, at the command prompt, type python followed by the full name of the program, for example: python hello world.py

Lesson 1: Introduction

To install Python:

Lessons