Chapter #

Programming, simply put, is the act of writing computer programs. Everything you do on a computer, from playing Minesweeper to typing your homework, requires the use of a computer program of some sort. Programs are essentially a series of instructions written down for a computer to follow.

Writing instructions is a deceptively difficult task. People are very good at intuitively breaking down tasks into simple steps. Someone can tell you "go buy some bread", and you immediately form a series of steps without thinking of them:

1. Go upstairs and get your wallet out of your sock drawer
2. Put your wallet into your pocket
3. Go back downstairs and get the car keys
4. Drive to the store and park in the parking lot
5. Walk to the bread aisle in the store
6. Choose a loaf and pay for it
7. Drive back home

Some of these steps can even be broken down into smaller, more detailed steps. How do you walk up a flight of stairs? How do you drive a car? There is a near-infinite series of steps that you could think of to do a task as seemingly simple as buying a loaf of bread.

Fortunately, in COMP 1010 you will not be writing anything nearly that complicated. Computers may be fast, but they are only as "smart" as their programmers. This chapter will give you a brief introduction to writing instructions for computers to follow.