12

Computer Science

None

None. Course notes included on course website.

A technical introduction to the fundamentals of programming with an emphasis on producing clear, robust, and reasonably efficient code using top-down design, informal analysis, and effective testing and debugging. Starting from first principles, we will cover a large subset of the Python programming language, including its standard libraries and programming paradigms.

This course assumes no prior programming experience. Even so, it is a fast-paced and rigorous preparation for 15-122. Students seeking a more gentle introduction to computer science should consider first taking 15-110.

NOTE: Undergraduate students must achieve a C or better in order to use this course to satisfy the pre-requisite for any subsequent Computer Science course.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

1) Write clear, robust, and efficient code in Python using:

• sequential, conditional, and loop statements
• strings, lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries
• objects and classes
• recursive approaches
• graphics and interaction

2) Develop programs to effectively solve medium-sized tasks by:

• employing modular, top-down design in program construction
• demonstrating an effective programming style based on established standards, practices, and guidelines
• proactively creating and writing test cases to test and debug code
• applying computational problem-solving skills to new problems, especially in the student's home academic discipline
• explaining and analyzing the efficiency of algorithms, particularly by predicting the Big-O running time of small pieces of code

3) Design and write a substantial (500-1500 line) program in Python with minimal guidance