What Is Programming?

Programming is writing instructions that tell a computer exactly what to do. A computer does not guess what you mean — it follows your instructions precisely, in order, one at a time.

Real-world analogy: a recipe is a set of instructions for a cook — "preheat the oven, mix the flour and sugar, bake for 25 minutes." A program is the same idea, except the "cook" is a computer and the instructions have to be written in a language it understands exactly.

Programs solve real problems: showing a web page, calculating a bill, recommending a video, controlling a robot. Learning to program means learning to break a problem down into small, precise steps a computer can execute.

Common mistakes

• Expecting the computer to "figure out" what you meant. If an instruction is ambiguous or incomplete, the program will do the wrong thing, or nothing, or crash.
• Trying to write the whole solution at once. Real programs are built step by step, testing small pieces as you go.