12/12/2024

TODAY
 course info
 what is computation
 python basics
 mathematical operations
 python variables and types
 NOTE: slides and code files up before each lecture
o highly encourage you to download them before lecture
o take notes and run code files when I do
o bring computers to answer in-class practice exercises!

FAST PACED COURSE

 Position yourself to succeed!
◦ read psets when they come out and come back to them later
◦ use late days in emergency situations
 New to programming? PRACTICE. PRACTICE? PRACTICE!
◦ can’t passively absorb programming as a skill
◦ download code before lecture and follow along
◦ do MITx finger exercises
◦ don’t be afraid to try out Python commands!

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PROBLEM
SOLVING

PRACTICE
KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMMING
OF CONCEPTS SKILL

TOPICS
represent knowledge with data structures
 iteration and recursion as computational metaphors
 abstraction of procedures and data types
organize and modularize systems using object classes
and methods
 different classes of algorithms, searching and sorting
 complexity of algorithms

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WHAT DOES A COMPUTER

DO
 Fundamentally:
◦ performs calculations
a billion calculations per second!
◦ remembers results
100s of gigabytes of storage!
 What kinds of calculations?
◦ built-in to the language
◦ ones that you define as the programmer
 computers only know what you tell them

TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
 declarative knowledge is statements of fact.
◦ someone will win a Google
Cardboard before class ends
 imperative knowledge is a recipe or “how-to”.
1) Students sign up for raffle
2) Ana opens her IDE
3) Ana chooses a random number between 1st and nth responder
4) Ana finds the number in the responders sheet. Winner!

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A NUMERICAL EXAMPLE
 square root of a number x is y such that y*y = x
 recipe for deducing square root of a number x (16)
1) Start with a guess, g
2) If g*g is close enough to x, stop and say g is the
answer
3) Otherwise make a new guess by averaging g and x/g
4) Using the new guess, repeat process until close enough
g g*g x/g (g+x/g)/2
3 9 16/3 4.17
4.17 17.36 3.837 4.0035
4.0035 16.0277 3.997 4.000002

WHAT IS A RECIPE

1) sequence of simple steps

2) flow of control process that specifies when each
step is executed
3) a means of determining when to stop

1+2+3 = an algorithm!

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COMPUTERS ARE MACHINES

 how to capture a recipe in a mechanical process
 fixed program computer
◦ calculator
 stored program computer
◦ machine stores and executes instructions

BASIC MACHINE ARCHITECTURE

MEMORY

CONTROL ARITHMETIC
UNIT LOGIC UNIT
program counter do primitive ops

INPUT OUTPUT

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STORED PROGRAM
COMPUTER
sequence of instructions stored inside computer
◦ built from predefined set of primitive instructions
1) arithmetic and logic
2) simple tests
3) moving data

special program (interpreter) executes each

instruction in order
◦ use tests to change flow of control through sequence
◦ stop when done

BASIC PRIMITIVES
Turing showed that you can compute anything using 6
primitives
modern programming languages have more
convenient set of primitives
 can abstract methods to create new primitives

 anything computable in one language is computable in

any other programming language

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CREATING RECIPES
a programming language provides a set of primitive
operations
expressions are complex but legal combinations of
primitives in a programming language
expressions and computations have values and
meanings in a programming language

ASPECTS OF LANGUAGES
 primitive constructs
◦ English: words
◦ programming language: numbers, strings, simple
operators

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ASPECTS OF LANGUAGES
 syntax
◦ English: "cat dog boy"  not syntactically valid
"cat hugs boy"  syntactically valid
◦ programming language: "hi"5  not syntactically valid
3.2*5  syntactically valid

ASPECTS OF LANGUAGES
 static semantics is which syntactically valid strings
have meaning
◦ English: "I are hungry"  syntactically valid
 but static semantic
error
◦ programming language: 3.2*5  syntactically
valid
◦ 3+"hi"  static semantic error

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ASPECTS OF LANGUAGES
semantics is
the meaning associated with a
syntactically correct string of symbols with no static
semantic errors
◦ English: can have many meanings "Flying
planes can be dangerous"
◦ programming languages: have only one meaning
but may not be what programmer intended

WHERE THINGS GO WRONG

syntactic errors
◦ common and easily caught
 static semantic errors
◦ some languages check for these before running program
◦ can cause unpredictable behavior
no semantic errors but different meaning than what
programmer intended
◦ program crashes, stops running
◦ program runs forever
◦ program gives an answer but different than expected

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PYTHON PROGRAMS
a program is a sequence of definitions and commands
◦ definitions evaluated
◦ commands executed by Python interpreter in a shell
commands (statements) instruct interpreter to do
something
can be typed directly in a shell or stored in a file that
is read into the shell and evaluated
◦ Problem Set 0 will introduce you to these in Anaconda

OBJECTS
programs manipulate data objects

objects have a type that defines the kinds of things

programs can do to them
◦ Ana is a human so she can walk, speak English, etc.
◦ Chewbacca is a wookie so he can walk, “mwaaarhrhh”, etc.
 objects are
◦ scalar (cannot be subdivided)
◦ non-scalar (have internal structure that can be accessed)

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SCALAR OBJECTS
 int – represent integers, ex. 5
 float – represent real numbers, ex. 3.27
 bool – represent Boolean values True and False
 NoneType – special and has one value, None
 can use type() to see the type of an object

>>> type(5)
int
>>> type(3.0)
float

TYPE CONVERSIONS (CAST)

 can convert object of one type to another
 float(3) converts integer 3 to float 3.0
 int(3.9) truncates float 3.9 to integer 3

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PRINTING TO CONSOLE
 to show output from code to a user, use print
command

In [11]: 3+2
Out[11]: 5

In [12]: print(3+2)
5

EXPRESSIONS
 combine objects and operators to form expressions
 an expression has a value, which has a type
 syntax for a simple expression
<object> <operator> <object>

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OPERATORS ON ints and

floats
 i+j  the sum
if both are ints, result is int
 i-j  the difference if either or both are floats, result is float

 i*j  the product

 i/j  division result is float

 i%j  the remainder when i is divided by j

 i**j  i to the power of j

SIMPLE OPERATIONS
 parentheses used to tell Python to do these
operations first
 operator precedence without parentheses
◦ **
◦ *
◦ /
◦ + and – executed left to right, as appear in expression

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BINDING VARIABLES AND

VALUES
 equal sign is an assignment of a value to a variable
name

pi = 3.14159

pi_approx = 22/7
value stored in computer memory
 an assignment binds name to value
retrieve value associated with name or variable by
invoking the name, by typing pi

ABSTRACTING EXPRESSIONS
 why give names to values of expressions?
 to reuse names instead of values
 easier to change code later
pi = 3.14159
radius = 2.2
area = pi*(radius**2)

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PROGRAMMING vs MATH
 in programming, you do not “solve for x”
pi = 3.14159
radius = 2.2
# area of circle
area = pi*(radius**2)
radius = radius+1

CHANGING BINDINGS
can re-bind variable names using new assignment
statements
previous value may still stored in memory but lost the
handle for it
value for area does not change until you tell the
computer to do the calculation again
3.14
pi = 3.14 pi
2.2
radius = 2.2 radius
area = pi*(radius**2) area 3.2

radius = radius+1 15.1976

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In-Class Questions and Solutions

 Lecture 1

1. Shell vs. Editor

You run the code below from the editor.

type(5)
print(3.0-1)
What’s printed?

o int

o 2.0

o int then 2.0

o nothing

In-Class Questions and Solutions

 Lecture 1

Python vs. Math

2 Which is allowed in Python?

o x+y=2

o x*x = 2

o 2=x

o xy = 2

o None of the Above

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In-Class Questions and Solutions

 Lecture 1

1. Shell vs. Editor

You run the code below from the editor.

type(5)
print(3.0-1)
What’s printed?

o int

o 2.0

o int then 2.0

o nothing

In-Class Questions and Solutions

3 Bindings
You run the code below from the file editor.
usa_gold = 46
uk_gold = 27
romania_gold = 1
total_gold = usa_gold + uk_gold + romania_gold
print(total_gold)
romania_gold += 1
print(total_gold)
What’s printed?

o 74 then 74
o 74 then 75
o 74
o 75

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