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Abstraction, Problem Decomposition, and Functions

Approx. 17 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course teaches the fundamental concepts of abstraction, problem decomposition, and functions in computer science.

Key Learning Points

Learn to write programs using functions, a key concept in computer science
Develop skills in problem decomposition and abstraction
Build a strong foundation in computer science

Learning Outcomes

Understand the importance of abstraction in computer science
Develop problem-solving and analytical skills
Learn to write programs using functions

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of programming concepts
Familiarity with a programming language such as Python

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Self-paced
Online
Video lectures

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Introduction to Computer Science
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Python Programming Essentials

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Bjarne Stroustrup
Grace Hopper

Related Books

Description

This course is the third course in the specialization exploring both computational thinking and beginning C programming. Rather than trying to define computational thinking, we’ll just say it’s a problem-solving process that includes lots of different components. Most people have a better understanding of what beginning C programming means!

This course assumes you have the prerequisite knowledge from the previous two courses in the specialization. You should make sure you have that knowledge, either by taking those previous courses or from personal experience, before tackling this course. The required prerequisite knowledge is listed below. Prerequisite computational thinking knowledge: Algorithms and procedures and data collection, analysis, and representation Prerequisite C knowledge: Data types, variables, constants; STEM computations; selection; and iteration (looping) Throughout this course the computational thinking topics you'll explore are abstraction, which is deciding which details matter for the problem you're trying to solve, and problem decomposition, which is about breaking large problems into smaller sub-problems to handle complexity. For the programming topics, you'll continue building on your C knowledge by practicing using arrays, which let you store multiple values in a single variable, and strings, which are arrays of characters. You'll also learn how to implement functions, which are the mechanism we use for problem decomposition in our C programs. Module 1: Learn about arrays as a way to store multiple values in a single variable Module 2: Discover how we store and process strings (arrays of characters) Module 3: Explore abstraction and problem decomposition Module 4: Use functions to implement problem decomposition in your code

Outline

Arrays
Course Introduction
Navigating a Coursera Course
Meet the Instructor (optional)
Lesson Introduction
Intro to Arrays
Initializing an Array
Why We Start at Zero
How Big Is an Array?
Run-Time Array Size with Pointers
Processing an Array
Multi-Dimensional Arrays
Matrix Multiplication
Exercise 1: Min and Max
Arrays Lecture Code
An Array of Cards Solution

Strings
Lesson Introduction
String Basics
String Length
Searching a String
String Input
Converting Strings to Numbers
CSV String Processing
The Caesar Cipher Revisited
Exercise 2: Full Caesar Cipher
Strings Lecture Code
Junior Codebreaker Solution

Abstraction and Problem Decomposition
Lesson Introduction
Rock and Roll
What Is a Chair?
Network Layers
Abstraction in Code
Lesson Introduction
Going Green
Building a Chair
Designing a Car
Abstraction Exercise: What's an Apple?
Abstraction Topic Understanding Check
Abstraction and Problem Decomposition Practice Quiz
Abstraction and Problem Decomposition Graded Quiz

Functions
Lesson Introduction
Intro to Functions
Returning Data From a Function
Passing Data Into a Function
Getting Valid User Input
Changing Parameter Values
Nesting and Boxes Revisited
Finishing Up
Exercise 3: Functional Caesar Cipher
Functions Lecture Code
Height Statisticamator Solution

Summary of User Reviews

Learn about abstraction, problem decomposition and functions in this course on Coursera. Students have praised the engaging course materials and practical assignments.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Engaging course materials

Pros from User Reviews

Practical assignments that reinforce the concepts taught
Well-structured content that builds upon previous lessons
Clear explanations of complex concepts
Great for beginners and those with some programming experience

Cons from User Reviews

Limited interaction with instructors
No hands-on programming experience
Some students found the pace too slow
Not enough emphasis on real-world applications
Some technical issues with the online platform

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