This course presents an overview of computer science (CS) with an emphasis on problem-solving and computational thinking through 'coding': computer programming for beginners. Other topics include: organization of hardware, software, and how information is structured on contemporary computing devices. This course is pre-requisite to several introductory core courses in the CS Major. The course is also required for the CS minor. MATH 12500 or higher is strongly recommended as a co-req for intended Majors.

Course Designers:

Course Instructors:

COURSE STRUCTURE:

Each week we have:


This is a HYBRID course which means that, in place of a second weekly meeting, you are responsible for independently reading the weekly Lab found in the "Handouts" column in the Course Outline below.
Starting on February 8, there are programming assignments due at 6pm every day. Programming Assignments are directly related to Labs and Lectures. The schedule contains the specific deadlines.
Lecture notes will also be posted weekly in the "Handouts" column in Course Outline below.

weekly work

No late assignment will be accepted. Submission is open 3 weeks before the due date.
You should work on programming assignment well ahead of the due dates.
Working on assignments the day they are due will increase the chance you will miss the deadline.

Help: Peer-Mentor Tutoring. Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) are available to help:

Useful Links:

Course Outline:

 Week:                       Topics: Handouts: Quiz & Code Review: Reading:
#1 Lecture:
1 February
Syllabus & Class Policies, Introductions,
Introduction to Python: definite loops, simple output, primitive data types, overview of objects & modules;
What is an algorithm?

Syllabus,
Programming Assignments,
Hello, World,
Hexagon example,
Fancier hexagon,
Lecture Notes
Think CS: Chapter 1 & Chapter 4
Lab, Quiz & Code Review: Getting started with Python & IDLE;
Using modules and definite loops

Lab 1

Academic Integrity + Introductory survey
Tuesday, 8 February No Lecture, Classes follow a Friday schedule.
Friday, 11 February College Closed, No Tutoring
#2 Lecture:
15 February
Strings & Lists: looping through strings, console I/O, ASCII representation

Loop Puzzle 1,
Loop Puzzles 2,
Caesar Cipher example,
input() example,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 2 & Chapter 3
Lab, Quiz & Code Review: String methods; Problem solving and the design process (simple parsing and translating)

Lab 2

Turtles & Loops
21 February Lab closed, No Tutoring
#3 Lecture:
22 February
Arithmetic; Indexing & Slicing; Colors, Hexadecimal notation;

Event Timing (Arithmetic Challenge), Slicing Challenges,
Color Challenges,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Section 8.11 & Chapter 11,
Numpy tutorial (DataCamp)
Lab Quiz& Code Review & Code Review:
Arrays and images in numpy, hexadecimal representation of colors (image processing)

Lab 3

Strings, Loops & Shell Commands
#4 Lecture:
1 March
More on Lists & Arrays; Images; Decisions;

Decision Challenges,
turtleString.py,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 7 & Chapter 11
Lab, Quiz & Code Review Programming with decisions & files (flood maps)

Lab 4

Indexing, Slicing, Colors & Shell Commands
#5 Lecture:
8 March
Logical Expressions, Circuits, Binary Numbers;

Types & Decisions Challenges,
Logical Operators Challenges,
SemesterIfAndExample,
Basic Gates,
Circuit Challenge1,
Circuit Challenge2,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 7,
Burch's Logic & Circuits, Explain Logic Gates
Lab, Quiz & Code Review: More on Decisions (snow pack);
Circuits & Logical Expressions

Lab 5

Loops, Decision, Numpy Arrays & Shell Commands
#6 Lecture:
15 March
Accessing formatted data; Arithmetic Challenges,
List/String Challenges,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 6,
10-minutes to Pandas Tutorial,
DataCamp Pandas Tutorial,
Ubuntu Terminal Reference Sheet
Lab, Quiz & Code Review: CSV files via pandas (population change);
Shell Scripts, github

Lab 6

Circuits, Logical Expressions & Shell Commands
#7 Lecture:
22 March
Functions;
NYC OpenData
quarterImage.py,
Hello with main(),
Total & Tax Challenge,
Greet Example,
Happy Example,
Jam Example,
Month String Example,
NYC OpenData
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 6,
10-minutes to Pandas Tutorial,
DataCamp Pandas Tutorial
Lab, Quiz & Code Review OpenData NYC (shelter data);
Using main() functions;
Python from the command line

Lab 7

Formatted Data & Shell Commands
#8 Lecture:
29 March
More Functions & Parameters; Decisions & Functions Example,
Dessert Exam Questions,
Foo example,
Koalas,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 6
Lab, Quiz & Code Review: Binning data (parking tickets);
Top-down design (herd of turtles);
Command line git

Lab 8

Functions
#9 Lecture:
5 April
Programming with Functions, Top-down Design;
Mapping GIS Data (Folium);
Random Number Generation;
Preview: Indefinite Loops
Sisters Example,
numsConvert.py num2string example,
CUNYcampuses,
Distance Check,
Random Walk,
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 6,
folium tutorial
Lab, Quiz & Code Review Folium/leaflet.js (mapping CUNY locations); Finding errors;
Regular expressions (command line)

Lab 9

Parameters & Functions
#10 Lecture:
12 April
Indefinite Loops; Simulations;
Design Patterns: Max;

Nums & While,
Max Num, Random Search (turtles),
Lecture notes
Think CS: Chapter 8
Lab, Quiz & Code Review More on Indefinite loops; Writing functions; unit testing

Lab 10

Functions, Top-down Design & Shell Commands
15-22 February Spring Recess: No Classes, No tutoring
#11 Lecture:
26 April

Python Recap;
Simplified Machine Language;
Design Patterns: Searching;

Search,
WeMIPS Emulator,
Lecture notes
U Idaho reference sheet, MIPS Wikibooks
Lab, Quiz & Code Review Simplified machine language

Lab 11

Indefinite Loops, Simulations & Shell Commands
#12 Lecture:
3 May
Introduction to C++: program structure, data representation and I/O.

Final Exam Overview
cin/cout example,
convert example,
loops example,
growth example,
nested loops,
Lecture notes
Cplusplus Tutorial,
C++ Tutorials Point,
The Rook's Guide to C++
Lab, Quiz & Code Review Using gcc

Lab 12

Simplified Machine Language & Shell Commands
#13 Lecture:
10 May
C++ control structures

Decision example (C++),
Logical Expressions (C++),
Input Checking (C++),
Input Checking, II (C++),
Growth Example (C++),

Lecture notes
Cplusplus Tutorial,
C++ Tutorials Point,
The Rook's Guide to C++
Lab, Quiz & Code Review Control Structures in C++

Lab 13

C++ & Shell Commands
#14 Lecture:
17 May
Mock Exam Final Exam Information
18-20 May No tutoring available
MONDAY 23 May
9am-11am
Final Exam Final Exam Information
(This file was last modified on 30 December 2021.)