Introduction to Computer Science

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into useful information (output), and store it away (in a secondary storage device) for safekeeping or later reuse. The processing of input to output is directed by the software but performed by the hardware.

Computational thinking involves taking that complex problem and breaking it down into a series of small, more manageable problems (decomposition). Each of these smaller problems can then be looked at individually, considering how similar problems have been solved previously (pattern recognition) and focusing only on the important details, while ignoring irrelevant information (abstraction). Next, simple steps or rules to solve each of the smaller problems can be designed (algorithms).

Finally, these simple steps or rules are used to program a computer to help solve the complex problem in the best way.

The four cornerstones of computational thinking

There are four key techniques (cornerstones) to computational thinking:

·       decomposition - breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller.

·       pattern recognition – looking for similarities among and within problems

·       abstraction – focusing on the important information only, ignoring irrelevant detail

·       algorithms - developing a step-by-step solution to the problem, or the rules to follow to solve the problem

Difference between Binary Code and ASCII

1) Binary code is a general term used for a method of encoding characters or instructions, but ASCII is only one of the globally accepted conventions of encoding characters and was the most commonly used binary encoding scheme for more than three decades.

2) Binary code can have different lengths for encoding depending on the number of characters, instructions, or the encoding method, but ASCII uses only 7 digits long binary string and 8 digits long for extended ASCII.

Algorithm complexity is a measure which evaluates the order of the count of operations, performed by a given or algorithm as a function of the size of the input data. To put this simpler, complexity is a rough approximation of the number of steps necessary to execute an algorithm.

In computer science, pseudocode is a plain language description of the steps in an algorithm or another system. Pseudocode often uses structural conventions of a normal programming language, but is intended for human reading rather than machine reading.

An in-memory database is a type of purpose-built database that relies primarily on memory for data storage, in contrast to databases that store data on disk or SSDs. In-memory databases are designed to attain minimal response time by eliminating the need to access disks.

• Integer
• The integer data type (int) is used to represent whole numbers that can be stored within 32-bits.
• Decimal
• The decimal data type (dec) is used to represent 64-bit floating point values.
• Text
• The text data type (text) is used to represent values that contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, spaces, and symbols.
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