Writing and following algorithms and programs
Introduction
To be able to write and follow algorithms and programs, you must learn and become good at a programming language and get lots of experience attacking problems. We thoroughly recommend Python and have provided you with all the resources to do this. Python is free to download and use and there are thousands of written and video tutorials to learn Python, many forums for getting help by searching through past questions and answers and posting questions yourself to get help, great documentation, loads of examples and it's lots of fun to use. There are two strands of Python. We thoroughly recommend Python 3.x rather than Python 2.x so make sure you download and set-up the right version!
Python 3
If you go to the Python area of this web site, you will find a complete programming course in Python 3, with lots and lots and lots of problems to solve in code! At every stage, you are encouraged to:
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- think about breaking problems down into smaller units
- write algorithms
- produce code from your algorithms
- test and debug your code
- suggest and implement improvements.
In addition to our resources, there are thousands of free books and written courses as well as video tutorials on YouTube. Just search for 'Python 3 beginner' or 'Python 3 introduction' and find something that suits your learning style. We can also recommend the resources listed here, which are excellent.
Everyone can learn to program but learning your first language takes a lot of time and even more patience so take your time, learn to walk before you run and have lots of fun!