Foundations of Programming

Foundations of Programming

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Learning goals

Learn about basic programming concepts like functions, operators, variables, control flow, strings, and arrays — some of the building blocks of programming.

Suggested prerequisites

No experience needed!

Variables & Operators

Variables allow you to store values for later use. For example, you can store the value "Kevin" in the variable myName. Operators are symbols that allow you to perform arithmetic (e.g. adding two numbers), comparisons (e.g. comparing two values to see which is greater), and logical operations (e.g. checking if one of two things is true).

If Statements & Loops

If statements allow you to run a specific block of code only if a condition is true. For example, you may increment a variable myAge only if it's your birthday. Loops allow you to run a block of code repeatedly. For example, you may write a loop that draws a circle 10 times.

Functions

A function is a block of code that has a name. When you "call" that function, the code inside it will run. You've probably called functions in code you've written (e.g. "print", "System.out.print")

Strings

Strings are an collection of characters in a specific order. Strings are used to store values like "Hello world!"

Arrays/Lists

Arrays (also known as Lists) are a data structure that allows you to store a collection of items in a specific order. Each item in an array can be quickly accessed by using its index (i.e. location) in the array.