Computer Programming and Why Programming?

Computer Programming

It is the process of giving instructions (commands) to the computer to do a  meaningful task.
It is an act of teaching the computer on how to do a task.

The art and science of creating instructions for a computer to follow.

Creating a sequence of instructions to enable the computer to do something.

Why Programming?


Computer is just a  dumb machine made up of different electronic components. It is like a box which cannot do anything by itself.

It is the user who tells the computer “what it has to do?”

If we need our computer to perform some task, we first have to teach the  computer in detail “how it will accomplish that task?”
Once the computer is taught about a particular task, it will completely obey  it but cannot do anything that it is not taught to.

Programmer

The person who gives the instructions (commands) to the computer is

known as the programmer.

A person who designs and writes computer programs.


Instruction
Instruction is any command given to the computer.
For example:
1)Add two variables A and B
2)Display result
3)Read file
Each of these is the individual instruction to the computer.


Program
Program is a set (collection) of instruction to do a meaningful task.
A sequence of instructions that are interpreted and executed by a computer.  It can be made of a single or a hundred of instructions.
For example: In order to teach the computer on how to calculate average of  three numbers? We need to give multiple instructions to the computer to do  the task.

Instruction 1: Get first number from the user and store it in A variable 

Instruction 2: Get second number from the user and store it in B variable  

Instruction 3: Get third number from the user and store it in C variable  

Instruction 4: Add A, B, C and store the result in SUM variable  

Instruction 5: Divide SUM by 3 and store result in AVG variable  

Instruction 6: Display AVG variable

Instructions 1-6 are used to solve a single task. This collection of instruction

is known as a program.

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