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Answer the questions before reading the text.

1. What is a computer?

2. What is computing?

3. What does computing include?

4. What is the purpose of programming?

Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and developing computer technology, computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology. Computer science (or computing science) is the study and the science of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems.

In a general way, we can define computing to mean any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computers. Thus, computing includes designing and building hardware and software systems for a wide range of purposes; processing, structuring, and managing various kinds of information; doing scientific studies using computers; making computer systems behave intelligently; creating and using communications and entertainment media; finding and gathering information relevant to any particular purpose, and so on.

A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions called a computer program. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions. The same program in its human-readable source code form, enables a programmer to study and develop the algorithm. Because the instructions can be carried out in different types of computers, a single set of source instructions converts to machine instructions according to the central processing unit type.

The execution process carries out the instructions in a computer program. Instructions express the computations performed by the computer. They trigger sequences of simple actions on the executing machine. Those actions produce effects according to the semantics of the instructions.

Computer programming in general is the process of writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code and documentation of computer programs. This source code is written in a programming language, which is an artificial language, restrictive, demanding, and unforgiving to humans but easily translated by the computer. The purpose of programming is to invoke the desired behaviour (customization) from the machine. The process of writing high quality source code requires knowledge of both the application's domain and the computer science domain. The highest quality software is thus developed by a team of various domain experts, each person a specialist in some area of development.

 

Match the beginning of the sentences (1-5) with their endings (a-e)


 

1. The process of writing high a. designing and building hardware

quality source code requires… and software systems for a wide

range of purposes

2. Computing includes… b. sequences of simple actions on

the executing machine.

3. The purpose of programming is to… c. mean any goal-oriented activity

requiring, benefiting from,

or creating computers.

4. We can define computing to… d. knowledge of both the

application's domain and

the computer science domain

5. Instructions trigger… e. to invoke the desired behaviour

from the machine

 


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