Key concepts for a beginner coder

How Code Runs

Execution

• Execution is the act of running a code
• Execute character by character or
• Execute line by line

Bugs

• Bugs are mistakes or problems with our code
• Bugs are often unexpected defects, faults or flaws in the strings of code
• Debugging is the act of searching for and fixing bugs in our code

Pseudocode

• Pseudocode is an informal code that does not require any strict programming language syntax
• Pseudocode is used for creating an outline or a rough draft of a programme

Decomposing

• Decomposing is the act of breaking a problem or task down into smaller tasks

Commenting

• Comments can be used to explain code
• Comments can be used to simplify code
• Comments can be used to prevent execution when testing code

Common Data types

• Data types are a specific kind of data item, and is defined by the values it can take, the programming language used, or the operations that can be performed on it.
• In coding and programming, data type is an important concept to grasp
• Variables can store data of different types, and these different data types can in turn perform a variety of functions

Arithmetic Operators

• Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical functions
• There are 7 arithmetic operators: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus, exponentiation, floor division

Loops

• Loops are used to execute a block of statements repeatedly until a given condition is satisfied
• When the given condition becomes false, the line that follows immediately after the loop is executed

Control Flow

• Control flow is the order in which a program’s code executes
• Control flow of a Python program is regulated by conditional statements, loops, and function calls.
• Control flow is also affected by raising and handling exceptions

Lists

• Lists are used to store multiple items in a single variable
• Lists are one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data

Functions

• Functions are blocks of code that only run when they are called
• Data, or parameters, are passed into functions
• Functions can return data as a result

Keep a lookout for my next article on some basic codes!

Alexander SR Pang