MIT 计算机科学及编程导论 Python 笔记 1

计算机科学及编程导论在 MIT 的课程编号是 6.00.1，是计算机科学及工程学院的经典课程。之前，课程一直使用 Scheme 作为教学语言，不过由于 Python 简单、易学等原因，近年来已经改用 Python 作为教学语言了。更多介绍

最初知道这个课程的时候大概是在 2014 年，对于做事拖沓的我，这门课程已经从低清随堂录制变成了 edX 平台的一门高清的 MOOC，转眼间已经大三，希望自己能够完成自己曾经定下的计划。以下是在我在学习本课程时的一些笔记，在此与大家共享、共勉。

What does a computer do?

Fundamentally a computer:
- Performs some calculations
- Remembers results
What calculations?
- Built in primitives
- Creating our own methods of calculating

Simple calculations are not enough, so good algorithm design also needed to accomplish a task.

Despite its speed and storage, a computer does have limitations

Some problems still too complex
Some problems are fundamentally impossible to computer (e.g. Turing's Halting Problem)

Fixed-program computers (earliest computers)

To solve specific problems
- Atanasoff (1941) - linear equations
- Turing bombe
Stored-program computers
Program is a recipe. Each programming language provides a set of primitive operations.
Given a fixed set of primitives, a good programmer can program anything.
Anything you can do with a language, you can do with another.

Aspects	Description
Primitive constructs	numbers, strings, simple operators
Syntax	which strings of charactres and symbols are well-formed
Static semantics	which syntactically valid strings have a meaning
Full semantics	what is the meaning associated with a syntactically correct string of symbols with no static semantic errors

Learn the syntax and semantics of a programming language.
Learn how to use those elements to translate “recipes” for solving a problem into a form that the computer can use to do the work for us.
Computational modes of thought enable us to use a suite of methods to solve problems.