CISC 106: General Computer Science for Engineers

Catalog Description:
Information structures, machine structures, principles of computation and algorithmic processes. Numerical methods and applications from engineering and the physical sciences.

Current Texts:
Fortran/77
Nyhoff & Leestma
Prentice Hall, 1994

UNIX Handbook
University of Delaware

Goals:
The course is the introductory computer programming course for students majoring in the engineering and physical sciences. Students who complete this course will develop a good working knowledge of the FORTRAN 77 language and will learn to apply the principles of programming to the solution of scientific and engineering problems.

Content:
The following material, while primarily for non-CIS majors, also includes that material expected of incoming CIS majors.

• Computer Architecture - an overview of the components of a computer system including terminals, central processing unit, main and auxiliary memory, and output devices
• Principles of algorithm design
• Control structures and data structures - a discussion of various methods of computational control in programming and elementary data structures.
• Numerical applications - includes main features of numerical computation and error analysis
• Software - an overview of language processors and the UNIX operating system - including the operating system command language, text editing and files
• Programming in the FORTRAN 77 language:
  • Syntax and the language
  • Error classification and identification
  • Program decomposition - functions and subroutines
  • Principles of structured programming and programming style
  • File structures and attributes
  • Use of scientific subroutine libraries

Helpful Background: Although there is no required background, students must have considerable maturity and good work habits to perform well in this course. Any previous programming background or experience working with computers would be helpful.