
Learn what a computer is: an electronic device that stores and processes data by running software, and understand how hardware differs from software.
Computers process vast data and perform complex calculations quickly, using teaching, data, and predefined solutions. Machine learning and AI are rising, but computers still lack independent judgment, intuition, and emotion.
Define algorithms as step-by-step solutions to problems, then illustrate with merge sort, dividing lists and merging to ascending order, and highlight that programs also use sort and search algorithms.
Explore how an algorithm becomes a full program by combining multiple algorithms and data across code and resource files. Learn how compilers and interpreters create executables that run applications.
Explore how variables and constants store data in programs, with constants fixed after assignment and variables that can change, illustrated by a name constant and a coins variable.
Explore how functions and methods encapsulate functionality, accept parameters, and return values, enabling reusable, flexible code through examples like say hello and simple arithmetic.
Explains how subroutines call a function or method, return to the caller, and differ from jumps that go to another code location without returning, while introducing programming paradigms.
Learn how declarative programming defines goals and lets the computer find solutions, with examples from SQL data queries and real-world navigation.
Explore object oriented programming as a real world model using objects, properties, and methods defined by classes; create instances such as cars and differentiate instance versus type properties and methods.
Explore pseudocode as a language-agnostic abstraction that lets teams prototype algorithms with plain words, using if, else, while, and other keywords for clear communication between programmers and non-programmers.
Computer Science is a topic that is becoming more and more relevant. Whether in college, school or at work. Computers and computer programs are everywhere in our everyday lives. We use software in smartphones, ATMs and even household appliances that we are able to control with our smartphones. A lot of people are confused and don't really know how all of this actually works
This compact course will take you from zero knowledge to having a solid understanding of the basic concepts of computer science and programming languages.
To keep the course interesting and entertaining, we use a lot of examples to explain the individual topics. Amongst many other things we will learn about the importance of algorithms and how we can create one and why they are incredibly important. We will also learn about different approaches to programming such as imperative, declarative and object oriented programming. We're going to give you real world examples outside of code and computer programs to make sure everybody is able to understand what we are talking about.
At the end of this course you will have a fundamental understanding of the most important concepts of computer science and programming and can try your luck on an easy test exercise. The course also contains a kind of glossary where we've listed definitions and explanations for the most important terms so you always have them at your fingertips.
So if you always wanted to know how computers actually work, what a programmer does and how we are using computers to develop our own programs join us in this course!