Welcome to CS106A

• Instructor - Nick Parlante - CS senior lecturer, Google, etc.
• Head TA - Juliette Woodrow
• CS106A teaches basic coding and problem solving
  -like swimming, you can't just read about it
• No prior experience required
• We are careful to go step by step
• Code looks impossible...
• You'll be amazed at what you can build

Everything is Code

What's going on in the world today changing your life: phones, video streaming, deep fakes, twitter, the whole reddit/4chan area, self driving cars, online censorship. How do all these work? Code. Knowing about code seems like a good idea.

Why Take CS106A?

• 1. No longer intimidated
  -The nature of computers is code
  -Understand how computers fit in the world
  -Not some hocus-pocus mythology of computers
  -Computing is a lot simpler (dumber?) than you might think
• 2. Solve Coding Problems
  -Python is powerful
  -In 10 weeks, you'll learn enough to solve real problems
  -Many CS106A projects have neat, tangible output
• 3. Hidden Agenda
  -You might find you like it
  -Take CS106B
  -We have a whole department on this stuff!

Links on Course Page

• cs106a.stanford.edu - everything is there
• Juliette Woodrow - our super head TA
  -Contact her if you need a problem solved
  -Please send him any OAE letters
• Office Hours - Nick and Juliette
• Link to "Python Guide" written detail
• Videos available after lecture - canvas
• Special Hours Today - Nick will hold special hours for a few minutes right after class - see link on course page

Python Language

• Using Python3
• Python is "programmer friendly"
  -get things done easily
• Not just for CS people
• Very popular for data, all sorts of things

Pedagogy Notes

• Lab in lecture - reinforce
• Education research, Carl Wieman (Stanford)
  -Do a little activity with what you just saw
• Lecture to homework, just a few days

Lecture Notes

• I'll provide notes like this each day
• May include links to live code to try
• I go through pretty fast .. do examples etc.
• You know you can review later, look at with your SL etc.
• You want to be able to solve the problems I do in lecture yourself

Please read the syllabus for other details - linked off course page