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Computer programming
Course: Computer programming > Unit 1
Lesson 1: Intro to programmingWhat is Programming?
Programming is the process of creating a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task. Programming can be done using a variety of computer programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, and C++. Created by Pamela Fox.
Want to join the conversation?
how do you find other people's spin-offs?(685 votes)
Press the spin-offs button under a program (Next to the buttons saying things like "Questions" and "Documentation".
There you can see changed spin-offs(507 votes)
How would you use the programming in something like a fridge?(133 votes)
Good question.
Some modern fridges by Samsung are "smart", which means they have a touch screen and can keep track of the contents of the fridge. They depend on an operating system, like your computer does. This operating system controls its tasks and is usually programmed using C or C++. In fact, some fridge companies have begun to incorporate Windows 10 operating systems in its touch screens.
The fridge's software would be programmed like a computer software is programmed.
JavaScript or other object-oriented programming languages are also occasionally used to make 3D models of the different components, so manufacturers know exactly how to make them.
As you can see, programming plays an indispensable role in our lives. From fridges to rovers on Mars, programming has it covered. Even cross-continental missiles.(293 votes)
How long does it usually take to master the art of computer programming?(78 votes)
There will be more to learn once you think you've "Mastered" it.(15 votes)
Hi, I'm new to programming. I was just wondering if all of this programming in Khan Academy is really worth it for programming outside of what we do here. Does it help, and if so, how?(52 votes)
If you're new to programming, definitely. While the processingjs library of JavaScript that Khan Academy teaches is not necessarily widely used, the concepts you'd learn are fundamental to all programming languages and would serve as a great launching point into a whole world of computer programming. You'll learn about variables, arrays, loops, functions, objects, etc -- all of which are used across all languages. You can also learn HTML/CSS here, as well as SQL, which are widely used for websites and databases, respectively.(59 votes)
How do you find other people's programs and projects?(27 votes)
Search "browse projects", and you can find a lot of projects that people have made here on Khan Academy.(49 votes)
- Ruby is a dynamic, interpreted, reflective, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language. It was designed and developed in the mid-1990s by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto in Japan. According to the creator, Ruby was influenced by Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada, and Lisp.(33 votes)
Sure, as long as you persevere.(30 votes)
- How would computer programming be useful in health and medicine?(20 votes)
- If you look at the coronavirus breaking out now, you can thank computers and programming that it has not spread around the world yet. Scientists found out its genetic coding using sophisticated programming techniques, and sent this around the world via methods made possible by programming. Programming is used by doctors when they diagnose diseases; they put the symptoms into a database and the database comes up with possible diagnoses and treatment. AI may even replace doctors in the next few decades, as programmed computers are generally better doctors than are humans, as they make less errors.(23 votes)
Why is the C programming not included?(11 votes)- C isn't taught as of 10/7/20 on Khan Academy. On Khan Academy, you can learn PJS, HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery and SQL for languages. Then there is also other electrnoic stuff like 'Pixar in a box.'(18 votes)
Is programming tough and is it something that is essential to the modern day society?(3 votes)
I think it's really easy to get started if you need any help, remember everyone here is ready and willing, including myself. And yes, it is most certainly essential so modern society. Have a good day and let me know if you need anything else. :)(25 votes)
Video transcript
Hi, welcome to programming! If you've never learned
to program before, you might be wondering
what programming actually is. Well, when we write a program, we're giving the computer
a series of commands that kind of look like
a weird form of English. You can think of a computer
as a very obedient dog, listening to your every command,
and doing whatever you tell it to do. So what's so cool about programming? Well, it really depends on
what you think is cool. Because as it turns out, you can
use programming for almost everything. Programs control robots
that can take care of patients, and my favorite,
robots that can roam around Mars and look for water on the surface. Programs help self-driving cars
know which way to turn-- which is pretty important! Programs help doctors cure diseases by
processing huge amounts of medical data. Programs can be really fun games,
like Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, Minecraft. Programs make it possible for Pixar to put out their awesome
3-D animated movies, and for movies like Harry Potter
to have such cool special effects. What's your favorite movie? I bet that a computer
helped make it somehow. Programs are behind
the websites and the apps that you use every day, all the time, like Google Maps, and
Wikipedia, and YouTube, and of course, where you are now,
Khan Academy. Here, on Khan Academy, you'll learn
how to write JavaScript programs to make drawings, animations, and games. And that will be a great start towards creating whatever
you're imagining in your head. I know, it might be hard to see
how a drawing program relates to programs for robots,
or curing diseases. But believe it or not,
the same basic concepts are used by pretty much
every programmer in every program. Once you learn to program JavaScript, you'll be able to learn other
programming languages much more easily. Now you just gotta keep going!