What is Programming?
You certainly use computers every day, but let’s explain exactly what we mean when we say “computers” in the context of programming. A computer is a device for processing and storing data.
Programming instructs the computer on how to take in, process, and store data. When someone creates a programme, they are providing the computer instructions that it must abide by.
We are providing the computer with instructions when we build programmes. Computers are quite literal; they will accept our orders and carry them out precisely, but we must be very clear in how we present them to them in order for them to comprehend us.
Fundamentally, programming is the process of disassembling a large problem.
Where can you see programming in use?
Everywhere! All complicated websites and your computer’s operating system are written in code! In addition to your desktop or laptop computer, code is used to control sophisticated coffee makers, self-driving cars, Facebook, Amazon, an ATM, the Lyft App, grocery scanners, most TVs, and metro card reloaders.
Programming languages: What are they?
Even if they are getting closer, computers still do not by nature have the ability to interpret natural language.
As we create code, we are essentially turning on and off a series of microscopic on and off switches that power computers, exactly like a light switch! To use these on and off signals, computers employ the binary numerical system.
Good goodness, a lot of very intelligent individuals before us came up with a means for us to communicate with computers without using zeros and ones. Instead, we employ computer-interpretable programming languages, just as language interpreters can convert Spanish to English or even English to sign language. They resemble English much more than binary, but they still contain many more symbols and fewer methods to express ideas than spoken language.
Similar to how there are many languages spoken around the world, there are a tonne of programming languages available. Some are quite low level and don’t exactly resemble how we talk, like Assembly or C. Some, like Python and Ruby, are most similar to human language. These
Different languages are employed for various jobs; for instance, webpages are written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, whereas your operating system is written in C. They have changed significantly over time; in the past, programmers had to feed punch cards into the computer rather than typing down code on their PCs. There are trade-offs between performance and usability, but if you’re learning to code, I highly suggest choosing one that is more like a regular language!
Learning how to code:
These are some really important fundamental concepts for programming, but there are so many more! Two important ones are debugging and problem solving.
When you’re writing code, the computer is really smart in that it does exactly what it tells you too. But, if you have a typo or any incorrect code, your code is going to throw an error! Learn to work through those errors and love them for telling you what’s going on rather than fearing them! They’re so helpful!
Problem solving comes in when we try to put the pieces of the puzzle together to make different programs.
Reference: A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Programming · We Learn Code
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