Introduction to Computer Science

Explain what a programming language is and how it tells computers to perform tasks, compare generations from machine language to fifth-generation declarative styles, and emphasize readability and maintainability.

Define algorithms as step-by-step problem solving processes and explore common sorting methods such as bubble sort, merge sort, heapsort, and quicksort, plus recursion and big-O complexity.

Explore how hardware and software form a computer system via the von Neumann architecture, with memory (ram) and memory cells, address width, a processor with control unit, alu, and input/output.

Explore microarchitecture design choices that balance cost and performance, covering control units, ALU, registers, buses, and the fetch-execute cycle through microprogrammed control.

Compare connection oriented and connectionless services, highlighting reliability, flow control, and the tcp/ip backbone with udp for best effort delivery.

Learn to identify security threats such as viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, and phishing, and apply defenses like antivirus software, firewalls, strong passwords, and backups.

Explore multimedia as a content form that blends text, audio, images, animation, and interactivity. Distinguish linear from non-linear multimedia with examples like cinema and computer games.

Explore the basics of robotics and artificial intelligence, defining robots, their sensing of environments, and their use in assembly lines, space, and medicine.