Reading Material

Computer

I. Introduction

A computer program is a sequence of instructions that tells a computer how to

do a task. So when a computer follows the instructions in a program, it executes the
program and gives results to a certain operation.

II. Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to;
1. define computer programming;
2. differentiate low-level and high-level programming languages;
3. enumerate features of compiled, interpreted, JIT compiled languages; and
4. elaborate the generations of programming languages.

III. Pretest
Answer the following questions;
1. What is computer programming?
2. What is the difference between low-level and high-level programming
languages?
3. What are the features of compiled, interpreted and JIT compiled languages?
4. What occurred in each generation of programming language?

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IV. Discussion / Course Content

LESSON 16: UNDERSTANDING PROGRAMMING

Though it is an intelligent machine, a computer can perform only what a

programmer asked it to do. So if the program goes wrong, it means something is wrong
with your set of instructions.

Programming Languages

A programming language is a set of written symbols that instructs the computer

hardware to do specific tasks. Usually, a programming language consists of a
vocabulary and a set of rules, or syntax.

These programming language makes the communication process between the

machine and its users easier and easier.

Levels of Programming Language

1. Low-level Language -similar to machine code and is more suitable for programs
like device drivers or very high performance programs that really need access to the
hardware.

2. High-level Language - focuses on the concepts that are easy to understand by

the human mind, such as objects or mathematical functions.

Compiled, Interpreted, JIT Compiled

1. Compiled languages - translated to the target’s machine language by a program

called by compiler. This can result in a very fast code, especially if the compiler is
effective at optimizing, however the resulting code may not port well across
operating systems and the compilation process may take a while.

2. Interpreted languages - read by a program called interpreter and are executed

by the program. While they are as portable as their interpreter and have no long
compile times, interpreted language are usually much slower than an equivalent
compiled program.

3. JIT-Compiled (Just-in-time languages - languages that are quickly compiled

when programs written in them need to be run, offering a balance between
performance and portability.

Supported Paradigm

 Declarative - focuses more on specifying what language is supposed to

accomplish instead of what means it is to accomplish.

 Functional - subset of declarative, tries to express problems in terms of

mathematical equations and functions.

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  Generic - focus on writing skeleton algorithms in terms of types that will be
specified when the algorithm is actually used.

 Imperative - allows the programmer to give computer ordered list of

instructions without necessarily having to explicitly state the task.

 Structured -aim to provide some form of noteworthy structure to a language.

 Object-oriented - subset of structured programming, expresses programs in

terms of “objects” and are meant to model objects in the real world.

Generations of Programming Language

1. First Generation Languages- introduced in 1940’s consisted of 1s and 0s or

programs that are in binary. The program must be managed in binary too.

2. Second Generation Programming Languages - allows the use of symbolic names.

This generation is known as assembly language and designed to support logical
structure and debugging.

3. Third Generation Languages - used in general purpose programming today, uses

words and commands instead of just symbols and numbers.
This generation is known as “high level language” and had syntax that was easier to
understand.

4. Fourth Generation Language - designed with making problems in a specific domain

simple to implement so in effect they reduce development time cost.
With close resemblance to human language, these are user friendly, portable and
independent of operating system.

5. Fifth Generation Languages - categorized as constraint oriented, are currently

being used for neural networks.

 Neural network - form of artificial intelligence that attempts to imitate how the
human mind works.

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V. References:

Introduction to Computer Programming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifo76VyrBYo

VI. Post-Test

 Via Google Classroom

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