Introduction to Programming
Explore the basics of programming by learning how to instruct a computer using programming languages. Understand what programming means, how computers execute tasks, and get introduced to Java, the language used in this course.
We'll cover the following...
In this introductory section, we will decipher the term programming and understand its usage.
Programming in layman’s terms
Instructing a machine to perform various tasks is called programming, and when that machine is specifically a computer, then we use the term computer programming.
✏️ Note: We’ll use the terms programming and computer programming interchangeably.
You must be wondering what we mean when we say, “instructing a computer”. This means to guide the computer to do anything you want it to do. But how do you guide a computer?
Remember when you were just a school kid? Teachers/ instructors taught you how to add two numbers. They explained, step by step, what numbers are and how to add them.
Then, you learned how to operate a calculator. You pressed the required buttons, and BOOM! The calculator solved complex mathematical problems for you in no time.
Actually, you were giving instructions to a calculator every time you pressed a button. The calculator displays answers according to these instructions. For example, it will always evaluate “” to .
Now we have much more out there. Computers can solve computations varying from simple mathematical problems to complex real-life problems. We just need to talk to the computer. However, it not that simple; we can’t just direct a machine by saying, “Hey computer! Add two numbers for me.”
There’s only one possible way. Yes, you guessed it right; it’s none other than programming.
Programming language
You have likely heard before that language is the key to communication. The same rule applies to the programming world. You require a medium to communicate with a machine.
A programming language is a set of instructions, written in a specific format, for a computer to understand.
A programming language provides a way for a programmer to express a task so that it can be understood and executed by a computer.
Programming revolves around two things: the programmer and the art of solving a problem.
Some of the popular programming languages are Python, C, C++, Java, etc. Java is the only language included in the scope of this course.