EGR 103/Concept List Spring 2020

Lecture 1 - Introduction

• Class web page: EGR 103L; assignments, contact info, readings, etc - see slides on Errata/Notes page
• Sakai page: Sakai 103L page; grades, surveys and tests, some assignment submissions
• CampusWire page: CampusWire 103L page; message board for questions - you need to be in the class and have the access code 6393 to subscribe.

Lecture 2 - Programs and Programming

• Seven steps of programming -
• Watch video on Developing an Algorithm
• Watch video on A Seven Step Approach to Solving Programming Problems

Lecture 3 - "Number" Types

• To play with Python:
  • Install it on your machine or a public machine: Download
• Quick tour of Python
  • Editing window, variable explorer, and console
  • Run icon (F5)
• You are not expected to remember any of the specifics about how Python stores things or works with them yet!
• Python is a "typed" language - variables have types
• We will use eight types:
  • Focus of the day: int, float, and array
  • Basics today, focus a little later: string, list, tuple
  • Focus later: dictionary, set
• int: integers; Python can store these perfectly
• float: floating point numbers - "numbers with decimal points" - Python sometimes has problems storing floating point items exactly
• array
  • Requires numpy, usually with import numpy as np
  • Organizational unit for storing rectangular arrays of numbers
• Math with "Number" types works the way you expect
  • ** * / // % + -
• Slices allow us to extract information from a collection or change information in mutable collections
• a[0] is the element in a at the start
• a[3] is the element in a three away from the start
• a[-1] is the last element of a
• A string contains an immutable collection of characters
  • Using + with strings concatenates strings
  • Using * with strings makes a string with the original repeated
• A tuple contains an immutable collection of other types
  • Using + with tuples concatenates tuples
  • Using * with tuples makes a tuple with the original repeated
• A list contains an immutable collection of other types
  • Using + with lists concatenates lists
  • Using * with lists makes a list with the original repeated

Lecture 4 - More on Types

• Relational operators can compare "Number" Types and work the way you expect with True or False as an answer
  • < <= == >= > !=
  • With arrays, either same size or one is a single value; result will be an array of True and False the same size as the array
• More advanced slices:
• a[:] is all the elements in a because what is really happening is:
  • a[start:until] where start is the first index and until is just *past* the last index;
  • a[3:7] will return a[3] through a[6] in 4-element array
  • a[start:until:increment] will skip indices by increment instead of 1
  • To go backwards, a[start:until:-increment] will start at an index and then go backwards until getting at or just past until.
• For 2-D arrays, you can index items with either separate row and column indices or indices separated by commas:
  • a[2][3] is the same as a[2, 3]
  • Only works for arrays!