Computer programming

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/computer-programming

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core function?Composition of instruction sequences (programs) for computer execution
2. What is the historical development?Evolution from low-level machine code to high-level, human-readable languages
3. Why do programmers use high‑level languages instead of binary?High‑level languages hide the complicated machine code and let programmers write clearer, easier instructions. This makes coding faster and less error‑prone.
4. How did programming change over time?Programming started with simple mechanical tools, then moved to assembly languages, and later to easier languages like FORTRAN, COBOL, and LISP. New styles such as structured, object‑oriented, and functional programming helped make code cleaner and more powerful.

Machine Code: The lowest-level programming language, consisting of binary digits directly understood by the CPU.
High-Level Language: A programming language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer's hardware.
Software Development: The comprehensive process of designing, creating, testing, and maintaining software.