What is programming?
The process of writing computer software. is writing computer code to create a program, to solve a problem. Sequences of instructions for a computer. are created to implement A sequence of logical instructions for carrying out a task. In computing, algorithms are needed to design computer programs.. Algorithms can be represented as Also written as pseudo-code. A method of writing up a set of instructions for a computer program using plain English. This is a good way of planning a program before coding. or a A diagram that shows a process, made up of boxes representing steps, decision, inputs and outputs., and programming is the translation of these into a computer program.
To tell a computer to do something, a program must be written to tell it exactly what to do and how to do it. If an algorithm has been designed, the computer program will follow this algorithm, step-by-step, which will tell the computer exactly what it should do.
What is a programming language?
A A language used by a programmer to write a piece of software. is an artificial language that a computer understands. The language is made up of series of The smallest element of a programming language which expresses an action to be carried out. that fit together to form A single action that can be performed by a computer processor.. These instructions tell a computer what to do.
There are many different programming languages, some more complicated and complex than others. Among the most popular languages are:
- A high-level programming language.
- A popular high-level computer programming language.
- C++
- A group of general-purpose, high-level programming languages that are relatively easy to use. BASIC stands for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.
- A high-level programming language that is presented in graphical blocks.
Different programming languages work in different ways to give instructions to a computer. For example, in Python programs are built by writing instructions in abbreviated sentences using lowercase words.
Other languages, like Scratch, don't use words at all for the instructions. Instead, Scratch uses colourful blocks and diagrams to build programs. To build a program, the user drags and drops blocks to create actions, like telling a character to move or speak. Each block is like a piece of a puzzle, and when connected, they show the flow of the program.
Programming languages are designed to be easy for a human to understand and write in. However, a computer cannot run programs written in these languages directly. Most programming languages have to be translated into Also called object-code, this is low-level code that represents how computer hardware and CPUs understand instructions. It is represented by either binary or hexadecimal numbers. before the computer can To run a computer program. the instructions.