Computer Studies / Computing

Course summary

Programming – Data types, arithmetic operations, relational operations, boolean operations, constants and variables, string-handling operations, random-number generation, exception handling, subroutines, global variables, structured programming Data structures – arrays, fields, files and records Problem solving – Analysis, design, implementation, testing and evaluation Theory of computation – Abstraction and automation, finite state machines Fundamentals of algorithms – Problem-solving, writing algorithms, abstraction, decomposition, automation, finite state machines Data representation – Number systems, number bases, binary number system, information coding systems, representing images, sound and other data, data compression and encryption Computer systems – Hardware and software, operating systems, programming languages, program translators, logic gates, boolean algebra Organisation and architecture – Internal hardware components, the stored programme concept, structure and role of the processor, external hardware devices Consequences of computing – Individual, social, legal and cultural issues and opportunities Communication and networking – Communication methods and basics, network topologies and wireless networking Computing practical project using a systematic approach to problem solving