What are Programming Paradigms?

1. What are Programming Paradigms?

Welcome to the course! Together, we are going to be learning about different programming paradigms and applying what we learn by writing simple programs in each paradigm using Python. Let's get started!

2. What is a paradigm?

First, let's cover some basic definitions. Before we can understand programming paradigms, we need to talk about what we mean by "paradigm". A paradigm is a standard, a perspective, or a set of ideas for operating. A paradigm is a way of thinking about a topic or approaching a problem. Consider an example of paradigms from science: previously we used to think the Earth was flat. Eventually, we discovered that the Earth was round. This is an example of shifting between paradigms.

3. What is a programming paradigm?

A computer program is a set of written instructions to tell a computer what to do, and programming is the act of writing these programs. In programming, a paradigm is a style or a way of approaching writing computer programs. Programming paradigms can be used to classify programs based on their features. It can include specific patterns to follow when writing code, and different programming paradigms are suited for different tasks that we might wish to accomplish with our code. For instance, being able to write code that can be used repeatedly in different contexts is important, and each paradigm handles this a bit differently. Some examples of programming paradigms that we will cover in this course include procedural programming, functional programming, and object-oriented programming.

4. What is a programming language?

The concept of programming paradigms is closely related to the concept of programming languages, but they are not the same thing. While a programming paradigm is a set of characteristics associated with a style of programming, a programming language is a specific system of notation for writing programs. Some examples of programming languages are Python, Java, Scala, and C++. We will only be using Python in this course.

5. Programming paradigms vs. programming languages

It's important to keep in mind that the same programming paradigm can be followed in more than one language. Since a programming paradigm is a style of programming, it is always possible for new languages to come out that use that same style. On the flip side, it is also possible for one programming language to implement multiple programming paradigms. This would mean that the elements from different programming paradigms are present in the same language. For example, the Python language can be used for all three of the top programming paradigms (procedural, functional, and object-oriented) because it includes procedures, functions, and objects.

6. Let's practice!

Great! Now let's take what we've learned in this video into the exercises and make sure we've got our understanding of programming paradigms down.

This exercise is part of the course

Programming Paradigm Concepts

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Get ready for a first look at programming paradigms! This Chapter covers what programming paradigms are, why they matter, and two broad categories of programming paradigms, namely Imperative and Declarative programming. You will also learn about the benefits of writing modular code and employing separation of responsibilities and how these relate to different paradigms.

Exercise 1: What are Programming Paradigms?

Current Exercise

Exercise 2: Understanding programming paradigms and languages Exercise 3: Programming languages vs. programming paradigms Exercise 4: Imperative and Declarative Programming Paradigms Exercise 5: Understanding categories of programming paradigms Exercise 6: Comparing programming categories Exercise 7: Why do we need Programming Paradigms?Exercise 8: Benefits of modular code Exercise 9: Benefits of thinking in multiple paradigms Exercise 10: Identifying modular code in Python

Dive into one of the most commonly used paradigms in programming: Procedural Programming. This Chapter covers what procedural programming is, what problems it can be used to solve, and how it achieves separation of responsibilities and modular code. You will learn how control flow statements like `if` statements, `for` loops, and function definition can all be used in procedural programming, and you'll get to practice these in Python.

Exercise 1: What is procedural programming?Exercise 2: Separation of responsibilities Exercise 3: Recognizing procedures Exercise 4: When is procedural programming used?Exercise 5: Pros and cons of procedural programming Exercise 6: Use cases for procedural programming Exercise 7: Control flow in procedural programming Exercise 8: Understanding control flow Exercise 9: Combine elements of control flow Exercise 10: Construct a basic procedural program

Dive into functional programming in this Chapter. We will cover the basics of functional programming: when to use it, some advantages and disadvantages, as well as some applications. You will also learn about using recursion in functional programming, and you will even implement some basic functional programs of your own!

Exercise 1: What is functional programming?Exercise 2: Functional programming and modularity Exercise 3: Pure functions and side effects Exercise 4: When is functional programming used?Exercise 5: Pros and cons of functional programming Exercise 6: Applications of functional programming Exercise 7: Functional programming in action Exercise 8: Write a pure function Exercise 9: Correct an "impure" function Exercise 10: Recursion in Functional Programming Exercise 11: Understanding recursive functions Exercise 12: Building a recursive function

Let's play with some classes and objects! This chapter will cover the Object-Oriented Programming paradigm, its common applications, pros and cons, and how to implement basic object-oriented programs in Python. We'll also touch on some more advanced topics in this paradigm including class inheritance and public vs. private attributes.

Exercise 1: What is Object-Oriented Programming Exercise 2: Identifying object-oriented programs in Python Exercise 3: Classes vs. objects Exercise 4: Build a class Exercise 5: Examples of Object-Oriented Programming Exercise 6: Applications of object-oriented programming Exercise 7: Pros and cons of object-oriented programming Exercise 8: Public vs. private attributes Exercise 9: Class Inheritance in Object-Oriented Programs Exercise 10: Build a class with inheritance Exercise 11: Changing programming paradigms Exercise 12: Classify programming paradigms Exercise 13: Congratulations!