1. Introduction to Information Structures (MSCIS100)
Winter 2017
Jan. 11, 2016
Dr. Seungmin Oh

2. Course Description
This course is an introduction to programming, computer application development, and the science of computing.
Topics include:
Introduction to computer science
Data types in python
Object-oriented programming
Data structures – Tree, Queue, Stack, etc.
© 2015 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.  All rights reserved.

3. Material Main textbook
Introduction to Computing using Python: An Application Development Focus, Ljubomir Perkovic, John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Data Structures & Algorithm in Python, M. T. Goodrich, R. Tamassia, and M. H. Goldwasser, John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

4. Assignments Mid-term Exam: 5th or 6th week Final Exam: final week
Quizzes: may be given every 3 or 4 weeks
Homework – in this room

5. Grade Determination Grade assessment Grade definition
Attendance/class participation 25%
Homework %
Mid Exam %
Final Exam %
Total %
Grade definition
A (Excellent), B (Good), C (Average), D (Below average), F (Fail)
I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal)

6. Course objectives Be familiar with problem solving
Be able to develop (and implement) algorithms
Be able to trace algorithms
Be able to select appropriate data structures and algorithms for given problems

7. Course Schedule
Date
Topics
Jan 11
Introduction to Computer Science & Information Structures
Feb 22
Stacks and Queue
Jan 18
Python Primer & Data Types
Mar 1
Linked Lists
Jan 25
Imperative Programming
Mar 8
Trees
Feb 1
Object-Oriented Programming
Mar 15
Sorting
Feb 8
Text Data, Files, Name Spaces
Mar 22
Final Exams
Feb 15
Recursion, Mid-Term Exams

8. Today Introduction to Computer Science and This Course
Computer Systems
Python Programming Language

9. Computer Science: What Do Computing Professionals Do?
Many computing professionals do write programs.
But, they do not write programs. What they are really doing is developing computer applications that address a need in some activity we humans do. (they are called computer application developers, or developers)
Not all developers develop computer games. Some create financial tools for investment bankers, and others create visualization tools for doctors.

10. Computer Science: What Do Computing Professionals Do?
Computer professionals who are not developers?
Some talk to clients and elicit requirements for computer applications that clients need.
Managers who oversee an application development team
Some computing professionals support their clients with newly installed software and others keep the software up to date.
Many computing professionals administer networks, web servers, or database servers.
Artistic computing professionals design the interfaces that clients use to interact with an application.
Some, such as the author of this textbook, like to teach computing, and others offer information technology (IT) consulting services.

11. Computer Science: Models, Algorithms, and Programs
To create a computer application that addresses a need in some area of human activity, developers invent a model that represents the “real- world” environment in which the activity occurs.
An abstract (imaginary) representation of the environment and is described using the language of logic and mathematics
Algorithms
Developers also invent algorithms that operate in the model and that create, transform, and/or present information.
A sequence of instructions, not unlike a cooking recipe
Programs
The full benefit of developing an algorithm is achieved with the automation of the execution of the algorithm.
After inventing a model and an algorithm, developers implement the algorithm as a computer program that can be executed on a computer system.

12. Computer Science
While most computing professionals develop applications for users outside the field of computing, some are studying and creating the theoretical and systems tools that developers use.
Computer science can be defined as the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their practical implementation on computer systems.
The computational techniques developed by computer scientists are used to study questions on the nature of information, computation, and intelligence.
Much of the theoretical foundations of computer science have come out of application development, and theoretical computer science investigations have often led to innovative applications of computing.
Thus many computing professionals wear two hats: the developer’s and the computer scientist’s.

13. What is a Computer?
A computer consists of a CPU, memory, hard disk, floppy disk, monitor, printer, and communication devices.

14. CPU
The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of a computer. It retrieves instructions from memory and executes them. The CPU speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), with 1 megahertz equaling 1 million pulses per second. The speed of the CPU has been improved continuously. If you buy a PC now, you can get an Intel Pentium 4 Processor at 3 gigahertz (1 gigahertz is 1000 megahertz).

15. Memory
Memory is to store data and program instructions for CPU to execute. A memory unit is an ordered sequence of bytes, each holds eight bits. A program and its data must be brought to memory before they can be executed. A memory byte is never empty, but its initial content may be meaningless to your program. The current content of a memory byte is lost whenever new information is placed in it.

16. How Data is Stored?
Data of various kinds, such as numbers, characters, and strings, are encoded as a series of bits (zeros and ones). Computers use zeros and ones because digital devices have two stable states, which are referred to as zero and one by convention. The programmers need not to be concerned about the encoding and decoding of data, which is performed automatically by the system based on the encoding scheme. The encoding scheme varies.

17. How Data is Stored?
For example, character ‘J’ is represented by in one byte. A small number such as three can be stored in a single byte. If computer needs to store a large number that cannot fit into a single byte, it uses a number of adjacent bytes. No two data can share or split a same byte. A byte is the minimum storage unit.

18. Storage Devices
Memory is volatile, because information is lost when the power is off. Programs and data are permanently stored on storage devices and are moved to memory when the computer actually uses them. There are three main types of storage devices:Disk drives (hard disks and floppy disks), CD drives (CD-R and CD-RW), and Tape drives.

19. Output Devices: Monitor
The monitor displays information (text and graphics). The resolution and dot pitch determine the quality of the display.

20. Programs
Computer programs, known as software, are instructions to the computer.
You tell a computer what to do through programs. Without programs, a computer is an empty machine. Computers do not understand human languages, so you need to use computer languages to communicate with them.
Programs are written using programming languages.

21. Programming Languages
Machine Language Assembly Language High-Level Language
Machine language is a set of primitive instructions built into every computer. The instructions are in the form of binary code, so you have to enter binary codes for various instructions. Program with native machine language is a tedious process. Moreover the programs are highly difficult to read and modify. For example, to add two numbers, you might write an instruction in binary like this:

22. Programming Languages
Machine Language Assembly Language High-Level Language
Assembly languages were developed to make programming easy. Since the computer cannot understand assembly language, however, a program called assembler is used to convert assembly language programs into machine code. For example, to add two numbers, you might write an instruction in assembly code like this:
ADDF3 R1, R2, R3

23. Programming Languages
Machine Language Assembly Language High-Level Language
The high-level languages are English-like and easy to learn and program. For example, the following is a high-level language statement that computes the area of a circle with radius 5:
area = 5 * 5 * ;

24. Popular High-Level Languages
COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language)
FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslation)
BASIC (Beginner All-purpose Symbolic Instructional Code)
Pascal (named for Blaise Pascal)
Ada (named for Ada Lovelace)
C (whose developer designed B first)
Visual Basic (Basic-like visual language developed by Microsoft)
Delphi (Pascal-like visual language developed by Borland)
C++ (an object-oriented language, based on C)
C# (a Python-like language developed by Microsoft)
Python (We use it in the book)

25. Compiling Source Code
A program written in a high-level language is called a source program. Since a computer cannot understand a source program. Program called a compiler is used to translate the source program into a machine language program called an object program. The object program is often then linked with other supporting library code before the object can be executed on the machine.

26. Operating Systems
The operating system (OS) is a program that manages and controls a computer’s activities. You are probably using Windows 98, NT, 2000, XP, or ME. Windows is currently the most popular PC operating system. Application programs such as an Internet browser and a word processor cannot run without an operating system.

27. What is Python?
General Purpose Interpreted Object-Oriented
Python is a general purpose programming language. That means you can use Python to write code for any programming tasks. Python are now used in Google search engine, in mission critical projects in NASA, in processing financial transactions at New York Stock Exchange.

28. What is Python?
General Purpose Interpreted Object-Oriented
Python is interpreted, which means that python code is translated and executed by an interpreter one statement at a time. In a compiled language, the entire source code is compiled and then executed altogether.

29. What is Python?
General Purpose Interpreted Object-Oriented
Python is an object-oriented programming language. Data in Python are objects created from classes. A class is essentially a type that defines the objects of the same kind with properties and methods for manipulating objects. Object-oriented programming is a powerful tool for developing reusable software.