CS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: High-Level Programming Language, Formal Language, Computer Hardware
Document Summary
Computer science- the science that deals with the theory and methods of processing information in digital computers, the design of computer hardware and software, and the applications of computers. Problem-solving methods- these include decomposition, simplification, representation, and generalization. Decomposition- breaking down a problem into smaller chunks of problems. Simplification- reducing a problem to a trivial size. Abstraction- a concept or idea not associated with specific problems (generalization & simplification) Algorithm- a step-by-step process to solve a problem. High-level language vs low-level language- high level language is easier to read and write, low level languages are easier to execute by the computer. Machine language- synonymous with low-level language, it is language that is understood by the computer. Bytecode- the language in between source code and object code. Natural vs formal language- natural language is spoken and redundant, while formal language is for a specific purpose and more concise.