Algorithms and Problem Solving

CSBP 119
Chapter 1
An Overview of Computers and Programming Languages

CIT, UAE University Fall 2020

  In this chapter you will learn about:
 Different types of computers and the history
of computing machines
Objectives  The hardware components of a computer
 The evolution of programming languages
 Low and high-level programming languages
 Compilers

CIT, UAEU. 2
History of
Computers
An Overview

CIT, UAEU. 3
  The basic commands a computer performs:
Elements  Input - The data provided to the computer
 Output - Results of the processing that is
of a provided by the computer
 Storage 
Computer  Processing – arithmetic and logical

System operations. 

CIT, UAEU. 4
Hardware /
CPU 
 Control Unit (CU)
 Arithmetic Logic Unit
(ALU)
 Program Counter (PC)
 Instruction Register (IR)

CIT, UAEU. 5
  Ordered sequence of
cells (memory cells)
which are uniquely
addressed.
Hardware /  Programs loaded into
Main main memory before
execution
Memory  Volatile state i.e., when
power is turned off,
everything in main
memory is lost

Main Memory with 100 storage cells

CIT, UAEU. 6
7 Hardware / Secondary Storage

 Provides permanent storage for information

 Examples of secondary storage:
 Hard Disks
 Floppy Disks
 Flash memory
 CDs, DVDs
 Tapes

CIT, UAEU.
  Machine Language
 Basic language of a computer
 A sequence of 0s and 1s (off and on)

Programming  Every computer understands its own

machine language
Languages  The 0 or 1 is called a Bit or Binary Digit
 A Byte is a sequence of 8 bits
 10101001

CIT, UAEU. 10
Binary Units
CIT, UAEU. 11
12 Evolution of Programming Languages

 Machine Language
 Early computers were programmed in
machine language (only using zero’s and
one’s)
 Assembly Language
 Programming is made easier.
 An instruction is an easy-to-remember form
called a mnemonic
 Assembler: a software that translates
assembly language instructions into machine
language

CIT, UAEU.
What programmer easily What Computer understands.
understands.

Assembly program Machine code

Assembler

Evolution of Programming Languages

CIT, UAEU. 13
14 Evolution of Programming Languages

 High-Level Languages
 Makes programming easier for users.
 Closer to spoken language (English)
 Examples
 Java, Basic, Quick Basic, Visual Basic,
FORTRAN, COBOL, C/C++, etc.
 Well-known language constructs
 If-then-else
 do-while
 for
 integer, String, char, etc.

CIT, UAEU.
15 Evolution of Programming Languages

 High-level programs needs to be translated into machine code

 Compiler: a program that translates a program written in
a high-level language into the equivalent machine
language
 A compiler checks the syntax of all statements in the
program against the language rules.
 In case there is a mistake, the compilation fails.
 Java is a High-level programming language

Stop
Bugs/errors/mistakes
High level programing Machine code
language Compiler/Interpreter

CIT, UAEU.
Java Programing Language Java Virtual Machine (JVM): Java
hypothetical computer
developed to make Java Programming
Java is a machine-independent language
programs machine independent.
Language
Java program is written using the Java
syntax
• Syntax is the grammar for the
instructions/commands.

CIT, UAEU. 16
17 Java Programming Language

 To run a Java program

① Java instructions need to be written: Java Code/Java Source
Program.
② The instructions must be translated/compiled into an
intermediate language called bytecode
 If there is an error then the Java Code must be rewritten
③ Then the bytecode is loaded and interpreted into machine
language
④ The machine language is executed by the CPU and then the
result is displayed

Java Machine
program Bytecode Code
Java compiler Java Interpreter

CIT, UAEU.
  Source program:
written in a high-level
language

 Loader: transfers the

compiled code
Run a Java (bytecode) into main
memory
Program
 Interpreter: reads
and translates each
bytecode instruction
into machine
language and then
executes it

CIT, UAEU. 18
Problem Solving
 Problem-Analysis-Coding-Execution Cycle

 Algorithm: a step-by-step problem-solving

process in which a solution is arrived at, in a
finite amount of time.

CIT, UAEU. 19
 1 2 3
Analyze the problem Implement the Maintain the program
• Outline solution algorithm in a • Use and modify if the
requirements and design an programming language problem domain or
algorithm (Java) and verify if the requirement changes
algorithm works

Problem Solving
CIT, UAEU. 20