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e\L-lovely-eng\comm8-1.pmd IInd 16-9-11 IIIrd 22-12-11 IVth 4-1-12

Information and Communication Technology Applications

/* main program*/
Notes var averageHt = avg (6, 4, 7) ;

. .
. .
. .
var averageAge = avg (30, 45, 21) ;
. .
So as you can see, functions in computer programming and spreadsheets are very similar to those
in math, and serve to ‘package’ some calculations so it can be separated and used over and over.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. A ...... is an artificial language that can be used to controul the behaviour of a machine.
2. ...... describes the form of programs, semantics is attached to grammatical notions.
3. The fourth generation languages are referred to as ...... .
4. ...... is a function from the input to the output.

8.9 Summary

• Programming as defined above has two essential parts: A technology and its scientific
foundation.
• A paradigm is characterized by a principle; this supplies the basis for a limited number of concepts,
which allow infinitely many methods to be invented, which in their turn help the programmer
in solving the problem at hand.
• Early computer technology dates from the era just before World War II in the late 1930s to
early 1940s.
• The fourth generation languages are referred to as 4GL. The 4GL’s are the shorthand
programming languages.

8.10 Keywords

Programming Language: Programming language is an artificial language that can be used to control
the behaviour of a machine.
Program: A set of instruction is called program.

8.11 Review Questions

1. Define programming languages
2. Write down the features which force one to learn about programming languages.
3. Briefly describe the history of programming languages and give the hierarchy of program-
ming languags.

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