Computer science is the study of computers and algorithms. Computer scientists use algorithms to organize and find computer data. Computer scientists work constantly to make programs faster and more efficient. They often solve problems in other fields, such as biology, geology, economics, and the arts. Computer programming is a subtopic within computer science. Programmers write code in lines, which are sets of instructions for a computer to follow. Programmers must know certain rules to communicate instructions with a computer. Sometimes a program has an error or bug that prevents the program from working as intended. Because of this, programmers must know how to debug code. Debugging can involve reading through the code and running the program with different inputs or scenarios. A coding error may lead the computer to output incorrect results or not run at all.
Here is a snippet of code (This is actually code that I have written for a problem):
I am passionate in programming mostly in a subtopic in this field, competitive programming. Programming contests have a set of problems. However, instead of solving them, a contestant has to write a program to take an input and give a certain output. For example, a basic problem may demand an output of the product of two numbers, which are the inputs. The difficulty scales drastically up to the difficulty of international competitions. There are many main reasons why competitive programming is one of my passions. The main reason is one that is common with all passions, it is fun and engaging. I love topics that force me to think logically and have some challenge. Even though contests and training for contests can get stressful, I am still motivated to keep improving. Coding is a fascinating topic that should be taught in greater detail in schools over just Scratch or Code.org. I believe that getting students to work on problems related to other subjects could spark an interest in programming for many people.
I do practice for competitive programming every day, but I am still curious about what it is like to be a real-life programmer. After reading about coding in the World Book Online article, I wonder if it is easier to write the majority of code in functions even if the code is only used once in large programs. Writing code this way is like organizing a binder for each school subject based on the topic rather than when the date received. Do you think doing this would be helpful if you got like 5 sheets of paper each day, or would it be a waste of time? Let me know your thoughts below.
Citations:
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2018, 1p.
Jang, P. (2022). Coding. In World Book Advanced. https://worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar758318&gr=Welcome+S.D.43-Coquitlam#tab=homepage