CSC151.01 2014F, Class 01: An Introduction to Algorithms
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_Overview_

* Preliminaries.
    * Admin.
    * Upcoming Work.
    * Extra Credit.
    * Attendance.
* Introduction: What is CS?
* Exercise: An everyday algorithm.
* Debriefing on exercise.

Preliminaries
-------------

### Admin

* Welcome to CSC 151.
* We'll do attendance after the preliminaries.`
* The department has a mailing list of events and opportunities in CS.  Please let me know if you'd like to be on it.
* Don't forget that we have class on Monday, even though it is labor day.
* There are a few folks who would like to switch from the afternoon section
  to this section.  If you would like to do the reverse switch, please let 
  me know.

### Upcoming Work

* [HW 1](../assignments/assignment.01.html) is due Sunday night at 10:30 p.m.
* Readings for Monday: 
  [Grinnell's Linux Environment](../readings/linux-reading.html) and
  [The Parts of Algorithms](../readings/algorithms-reading.html)

### Extra Credit Opportunities

#### Academic

* CS Table today (and every Friday) at 12:10 in JRC 224A.

#### Peer Support

* Football Scrimmage Saturday at 1:00 p.m. (and all football games)
* Women's Volleyball home matches (none this weekend)
* Men's Tennis home matches 
* Women's Tennis home matches
* More to be added

### Attendance

* I would like to know 
    * What name to use for you in less formal situations.  This will usually
      be your given name or a nick name.
    * What name to use for you if I am addressing you by family name or last
      name.
    * Your preferred gender pronoun.
    * (Optional) Any upcoming events in which you are participating that
      you would like classmates to attend.
* When I call something resembling your name, please answer using 
  something like the following models.
    * Hi.  My name is Casey Smith.  I prefer that you call me "Case" or "Mr. Smith".  My preferred gender pronouns are he, him, and his.
    * Hi.  My name is Casey Smith.  I prefer that you call me "Casey" or "Ms. Smith".  My preferred gender pronouns are she and her."
    * Hi.  My name is Casey Smith.  I prefer that you call me "Cay" or "Mx. Smith".  My preferred gender pronouns are zi and zir.

### Questions

Introduction: What is CS?
-------------------------

* A discipline in which you learn how to make computers do things that you
  want them to do.
* Programming.  Create algorithms to automate certain tasks.  A set
  of instructions for accomplishing certain tasks.
* The study of the theoretical applications of computers - How we might
  use computers, not how we do use computers.
* The study of how computers work.
* Josie: Solve problems by coming up with hypothesis, do experiments
  (or maybe just observations), analyze data, gain support of or opposition to hypothesis
* Main focus (according to sam): Writing instructions for accomplishing 
  tasks (also what it means to have accomplished the task)

Exercise: An everyday algorithm
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* Let's teach Sam to make a no-nut butter and strawberry preserves sandwich
    * Sam is pretty clueless.
    * Sam is really good at misinterpreting if you are ambiguous

Debriefing on exercise
----------------------

* Be specific.  
* Order matters.  If one thing is a prerequisite of another, it has to
  come first.
* Don't make assumptions.
* Be careful when you use "loops" - Make sure that they stop
* Just because the computer has done something right one time, it doesn't
  mean it will do so again.
* You often need to make choices based on the state of the system
* Things will go wrong.  When they do, it's funny.
* You work better in groups.
* You write better algorithms when you observe parts