Programming Fundamentals

This course is part of Introductory C Programming Specialization

Skills you'll gain

• Algorithms
• Programming Language Concepts
• Problem Solving
• C Programming

Expand your knowledge about the subject.
The Introductory C Programming Specialization includes this course.
You will be enrolled in this Specialization as well as this course upon enrollment.
Discover novel ideas from professionals in the field.
Acquire a fundamental comprehension of a topic or instrument
Gain practical project experience to enhance employability.
Obtain a career certificate that may be shared.

There are 4 modules in this course

Whether your job goals are in software development or something else entirely, learning to program is becoming more and more crucial. Although the lessons in this course are specific to the Introduction to Programming in C specialty, they can be applied to any language that you may like to study. This is true because the core idea of programming is to create an algorithm—a concise set of instructions that can be used to solve any problem in a class of problems—by figuring out how to solve a class of problems. You will learn how to solve any programming problem with the Seven Steps, a potent problem-solving method that you will learn in this course. You will learn how to create algorithms in this course, as well as how to read code and apply programming ideas to algorithms.

 

Introduction

This module presents the Seven Steps, a potent method for resolving any programming issue. You'll discover a methodical approach to programming problems that will enable you to create precise and accurate algorithms. To build your algorithm building skills, you will work through examples using graphical patterns and numerical sequences.

• Why You Should Learn to Program•
• Stepping Through An Algorithm•
• Testing an Algorithm for a Numerical Sequence•
• A Pattern of Squares•
• Testing a Pattern of Squares•
• Drawing a Rectangle•
• Closest Point•
• Generalizing Closest Point•

9 readings•Total 56 minutes

• Programming: Plan First, Then Code•
• Overview of the Seven Steps•
• Algorithms•
• Step 1: Work an Example Yourself•
• Step 2: Write Down What You Just Did•
• Step 3: Generalize Your Steps•
• Step 4: Test Your Algorithm•
• A Pattern of Squares•
• Next Steps•

3 quizzes•Total 90 minutes

• Algorithms•
• Steps 1–
• Algorithm Practice•

Reading Code

This module will teach you how to read code, which will enable you to run a piece of code by hand and clearly explain the purpose of each statement as well as the current state of the program. The only way to be certain you can create correct code is to know how to understand code. You will be able to read and comprehend code that uses functions, conditional statements, iteration, and other basic concepts at the end of this module.

• Why You Should Learn to Read Code•
• Declaring and Assigning a Variable•
• Examples of Expressions•
• Using Functions for Abstraction•
• Execution of Function Calls•
• Printing Example•
• Execution of If/Else•
• Execution of Switch/Case•
• While Loops•
• Equivalent For and While Loops•
• Execution of Nested Loops•
• Execution of Continue•

17 readings•Total 170 minutes

• Declaring a Variable•
• Assigning a Variable•
• Expressions with Common Operators•
• Anatomy of a Function•
• How to Evaluate a Function•
• Scope•
• Printing•
• Conditional Statements•
• If/Else•
• Switch/Case•
• Shorthand•
• Loops for Repetition•
• While Loops•
• Do/While Loops•
• For Loops•
• Continue and Break•
• Higher-level Meaning•

8 quizzes•Total 240 minutes

• Reading Code•
• Variables and Expressions•
• Functions•
• Printing•
• Logical Operators•
• Conditional Statements•
• While Loops•
• Loops•

Types

Everything is a number to a computer, but types determine the size and interpretation of numbers. In this module you will learn about types beyond integers, both their conceptual representations, and their hardware representations in binary. You will learn basic data types, "non-number" types, and complex, custom types, as well as some important caveats, so you will avoid type-related programming mistakes.

What's included

• Introduction to Types•
• Types and Formatted Output•
• Type Conversion•
• Everything Is a Number•
• Struct for a Rectangle•
• Uses of Typedef•
• Enumerated Types•
• A Duke Software Engineering Student on the Importance of Planning•

18 readings•Total

• Converting between Decimal and Binary•
• Looking under the Hood•
• Basic Data Types•
• char•
• int•
• float and double•
• Printing redux•
• Expressions Have Types•
• Type Conversion•
• Casting•
• Overflow and Underflow•
• "Non-numbers"•
• Strings•
• Images•
• Sound and Video•
• Structs•
• Typedef•
• Enumerated Types•

6 quizzes•

• Types•
• Decimal, Hex, and Binary•
• Basic Data Types•
• Expressions Have Types•
• "Non-numbers"•
• Complex, Custom Data Types•

 Project

You've gained a lot of knowledge about creating algorithms and the principles of programming that will support their use. You will create and evaluate your own data sorting method for this assignment. This lesson will emphasize the value of specificity in algorithm writing and give you the chance to design one for sorting, a popular computing activity.