Book Image

Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners

By : Joakim Wassberg
4 (1)
Book Image

Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners

4 (1)
By: Joakim Wassberg

Overview of this book

Learning how to code has many advantages, and gaining the right programming skills can have a massive impact on what you can do with your current skill set and the way you advance in your career. This book will be your guide to learning computer programming easily, helping you overcome the difficulties in understanding the major constructs in any mainstream programming language. Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners starts by taking you through the building blocks of any programming language with thorough explanations and relevant examples in pseudocode. You'll understand the relationship between computer programs and programming languages and how code is executed on the computer. The book then focuses on the different types of applications that you can create with your programming knowledge. You'll delve into programming constructs, learning all about statements, operators, variables, and data types. As you advance, you'll see how to control the flow of your programs using control structures and reuse your code using functions. Finally, you'll explore best practices that will help you write code like a pro. By the end of this book, you'll be prepared to learn any programming language and take control of your career by adding coding to your skill set.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
1
Section 1: Introduction to Computer Programs and Computer Programming
6
Section 2: Constructs of a Programming Language
7
Chapter 5: Sequence – The Basic Building Block of a Computer Program
14
Section 3: Best Practices for Writing High-Quality Code
Appendix B: Dictionary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W

Chapter 6: Working with Data – Variables

In previous chapters, we stated that a program is something that takes data as input and performs operations on it to produce new data. So, handling data is crucial in any application, regardless of whether it is used for accounting or whether it is a game.

When we work with data, it must be stored in the computer's memory, and this is done with variables. It is variables that let us store and retrieve data. In this chapter, we will get to know variables, see how they work, and, in the end, look at some operations that we can perform on them.

In this chapter, you will learn about the following:

  • Declaring and initializing variables
  • Understanding data types and applying them to variables
  • Using composite types to handle multiple values
  • Performing operations on variables using operators
  • Operating on numbers and manipulating strings
  • When programming, we need to work with data, and that data will be stored...