Course Schedule
[Note: this webpage last modified Monday, 19-Aug-2013 20:14:23 EDT]
This web-page will be kept up to date with the required reading to perform
before each lecture.
I will assign some readings from the textbook. You
should also consider the in-class code that is typed during class as
part of your assigned reading -- after class and before the next
class, you should download the code, run it, and understand it fully.
Readings/Topics Schedule
I have created a google calendar for the class where I'll post readings, what
we did that day, etc. -
CS 151 calendar
I have also created a YouTube playlist where I will put videos to
watch:
youtube channel.
And, I have a google doc that I'll keep track of what we're doing in class:
class notes.
My plan is to cover topics in roughly the following order.
- Video: Syllabus, setting up software.
- Week 1:
What's in the Computer? Input/output devices, computation devices -
CPU, memory, hard drive.
- Week 1: What is an algorithm? Example - PBJ, add up numbers 1 to 100.
Instruction set - basic capabilities of computer.
- Weeks 1, 2: programming in Scratch - basic examples using variables, loops,
conditionals, and functions.
Scratch help/tutorials
- Weeks 3 - ...: C programming, starting from the beginning of the
textbook.
Topics to cover include ...
- binary/decimal/hexadecimal numbers and
converting between them
- arrays of numbers - find smallest, find largest, sort them.
- text - find a word, count word/letter frequency.
- simple encryption of text.
- a game, with simple AI for the game.
- using functions provided by libraries (e.g., string functions,
files, math, random, GMP).
-
And some programs we'll make that do those things...
- calculator
- game(s)
- text search
- alphabetizer
- encryption
We may do one or more of these (which I think are pretty fun/cool)
- Computing digits of pi, e, etc. with GMP.
- image manipulations (make image gray scale, black/white, etc.).
- network programming - computers talk to each other (e.g., a networked
game or chat system)
- Others are TBD