El Camino College - Division of Mathematical Sciences

Computer Science 1
Problem Solving and Program Design using C++

Prerequisite: Mathematics 170 with a minimum grade of C.

Catalog Description:
This course is an introduction to problem solving and program design using structured, top-down, algorithmic development techniques, applied to the solution of numeric and non-numeric problems. Software engineering topics such as analysis, design, implementation, testing, documentation, and maintenance of software are discussed. Laboratory work will be done using the C++ computer language.

Course Objectives:

1. Define simple software engineering terminology, such as software life cycle, problem analysis, program design, testing and top-down design. Utilize software engineering terminology properly when describing program design.
2. Utilize problem analysis and design techniques in developing solutions to programming problems. In particular, break programming problems down into chunks, leading to efficient use of top-down design in order to create and implement modular solutions.
3. Represent data utilizing simple numeric and character data types in a program and use them with input-output processes of the particular implementation of C++ being used.
4. Design solutions requiring translation of mathematical and algebraic steps into a C++ program, using appropriate mathematical operators and math library functions of the C++ implementation in use.
5. Design programming solutions requiring decision-making, using appropriate C++ selection statements, such as if-then, if-then-else and switch.
6. Design programming solutions requiring the use of repeated processes, using appropriate C++ iteration statements, such as for, while, and do-while loops.
7. Design, implement and manipulate C++ structure data types in order to store and manipulate data efficiently.
8. Design programming solutions requiring the storage and manipulation of large amounts of data (with random access ability during execution cycle), using single and multi-dimensional arrays, such as numerical, string, char, and structure types.
9. Design, implement and manipulate string class data types as objects in order to store string type data.
10. Implement skills required for reading data from and writing results to text files in C++.

For more information see CSCI 1 Course Outline of Record.