CSC151 2009F, Class 01: An Introduction to Algorithms 
Admin:
* Welcome to 151.
  * I'm Sam
  * That's Russel, your class mentor
* THREE HANDOUTS AT BACK OF ROOM.  MAKE SURE TO GRAB ALL OF THEM
  * Assignment 1: Administrivia and Survey
  * Laboratory: Drawing Smiley Faces
  * Computer Science Tutoring (Yellow Sheet)
* I will take attendance for the first few days, but I will probably take 
  a month to attach names to faces and perhaps longer to learn to pronounce 
  names correctly.
* Two assignments for Monday: 
  (1) Take the introductory survey. 
  (2) Read "Grinnell's Linux Environment".

Overview:
* Introduction: What is CS?
* Exercise: Drawing smileys.

What is CS?
* A tool
* The logic behind programming computers 
* Something that's fun 
* Try separating into component parts
  * Computer
    * Something interactive
    * A computational device, which takes input, processes the input,
      and produces output
    * Computers may use binary/digital/etc.
    * Often, the processing computers do is so complex/massive that
      humans could not do it (at least not in a realistic time frame)
  * Science
    * The study of human life (Biology studies life)
    * The study of how things are done
    * A kind of study using observation and experiment
      * Finding patterns
    * Uses "The Scientific Method"
    * Vs. Other field's mechanisms of study, such as "The Humanistic Method"
      * Personal interpretation
* What kinds of hypotheses would we make?
  * This will compute
  * This process will give this output for that input
  * Microsoft Word Will Crash

* So, if you reject the "It's a science', what is CS? [Sam's Answer]
  * The study of algorithms and data structures
    * Algorithms: Instructions for processes
    * Data Structures: Ways of organizing data
  * Data structure example: How do you organize your to-do list? A sheet
    of paper vs. note cards.
  * How do they study?
    * See the outline

Exercise: Drawing Smileys
* Find two other people with the same color smiley.
* Read and follow the instructions.
* Ask questions if the instructions are vague.
* Be prepared to share your group's answer with the class.

* MAKE SURE THAT SOMEONE IN YOUR GROUP SAVES A COPY OF THE INSTRUCTIONS
  AS WE MAY DISCUSS THEM ON MONDAY!

* Idea: When writing algorithms, we are limited by what the computational
  device already understands
* Four perspectives
  * Toddler: Can follow English-language instructions, but has limited 
    knowledge of the world.
  * Turtle: Mechanical device with pen.  Can move forward, raise and lower
    pen, and turn by a certain angle.
  * Impressionist/Pixel: Divides the image into a grid and puts a color
    at certain points in the grid.  (More or less how a typical computer
    screen works.)
  * Circles: All the device can do is draw colored circle.  (No good
    analog.)