Week 1 — Introduction to Computing & Computational Thinking

Welcome to your Week 1 Start Here page.

Why this matters

A biology major sorting lab data and a business student checking a spreadsheet's totals both need exact steps and a check of what the computer really did.

In plain language

A computer is a machine that follows instructions exactly as they are written, one after another. This week you write those instructions yourself, starting with an algorithm (a list of steps that solves a problem) and turning it into a program (those steps written in a language a computer can run). You will run your first lines of Python, predict what each one prints, and then check your prediction by running it. You will also learn to read an error message (the report Python prints when it cannot go on) from its last line, so a red message turns into a clue instead of a verdict. No experience is assumed; you need a web browser and some curiosity.

• This week: algorithms and programs, decomposition, your first program, tracing, and reading two error types.
• How they connect: this is the foundation for every later week.
• Where we're going next: Week 2, Variables, Data Types & Expressions.

Focus

What is a program, and how does the machine know what to do when you run one?

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• [ ] write a short algorithm in plain English
• [ ] predict what a short line prints, then run it
• [ ] tell a SyntaxError from a NameError

To-do

Plan your week

1. Read Chapter 1 (about 40 minutes), then the lecture and slides.
2. Work the lecture tutorial (60–90 minutes) and the practice set (about 20 minutes).
3. Do the Coding Lab (about 90 minutes), the discussion, and the assignment.
4. Take the quiz.

This week's checkpoint: predict what a two-line program prints, run it, and name the error type on the last line if it stops.

You've got this

Predict, then run, and ask your instructor if a step snags.

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