Session 2 Preparation — Videos, Reading and Quizzes

Quiz

Go to Moodle to find the Quiz for this Preparation.

Do the quiz as you watch the videos and do the reading. The quiz follows the same order as the videos/reading do.

You can access the videos from here or from Moodle; they both point to the same place.

Videos and Reading:

All of the following are required except items labeled Optional are, well, optional (i.e., things that may be interesting but do not directly pertain to your success in this course).

  1. Getting started in Python - Numbers, Arithmetic Operators, Expressions, Objects, Types, Variables, Assignment, Calling Functions (whew!)
    1. Do the exercises described on this handout on Getting Started in Python.
    2. After doing those exercises, answer the quiz questions (in Moodle) on what you learned from doing those exercises.
      • Note: you may use the Python Console or Idle while answering those quiz questions if you wish (just as you used one of them for doing the exercise itself).
  2. Introduction to Functions — Video [10:51 minutes]
    • Note: This video refers to exercises that you will see in Session 2 (the video falsely claims that you will see them in Session 1).
  3. Calling Functions with Arguments — Video [3:44 minutes]
    • The preceding video explained how a program's flow of control changes when a function call occurs.
    • This video explains the flow of information that occurs during a function call.
  4. Coding to a Specification — Video [4:23 minutes]
    • You will apply the ideas of this video in all subsequent exercises in this class (and beyond).
  5. Object Oriented Programming (OOP) — Video [7:47 minutes]
    • This video explains the concept of Object Oriented Programming, contrasting it with Procedural Programming.
  6. Classes — what objects know (in instance variables) and what they can do (via methods) — Video [7:49 minutes]
    • The previous video introduced the concept of Object Oriented Programming (OOP).
    • This video explains the programming constructs that embody OOP — classes, objects, instance variables and methods.
  7. Objects and Classes – Using Objects — Video [20:00 minutes]
    • This video extends the concepts from the previous videos to show how a software developer uses objects to be more productive.
  8. Thinking Like a Computer: Control Flow