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Essay on Introduction to Computer Programming
A computer cannot comprehend the words spoken by us, and this warrants the call for a language, which can without delay carry the functions we want. The pursuit of developing the perfect computer language, which started from the simple punched cards and algorithms, has taken a whole new dimension today. The present day computer languages are immensely capable in making the computer perform varied tasks in fields like art, engineering, medical science etc. A complete programming language includes components like, the computational model, the syntax and semantics of programs, and the other pragmatic considerations that shape the language. A program is set of coded instructions that enable a machine, especially a computer, to perform a desired sequence of operations. Thus programming languages deal with such sets of instructions or algorithms, which can be customized according to the output, we desire from the computer. (C. A. R. Hoare)
Computer programming language is a lot like a human language. As with a human language, each computer language has a vocabulary of words. Likewise, each language has syntax rules for putting the words together in meaningful ways. However, unlike human languages, computer languages are very precise. Human languages may have five different words that mean the same thing, whereas a computer language has only one. And, in a human language, you can put together the same sentence in several ways, reordering the words or even bending the rules of syntax now and then, and still be understood. Computers require that you follow their syntax to the letter. If you don't, the computer won't understand and will generate an error.
Programming is the act of creating a computer program, a concrete set of instructions for a computer to carry out. The program is written in a programming language, although it’s possible to directly write in machine code, with a certain difficulty. Different parts of a program may be written in different languages. Different programming languages work in different ways.
