Introduction to CS and Programming using Python
(Fall 2025)

(this is the old 6.100L)
Click for details about changes in 6.100/A/B/L

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Announcements

Class Structure

1) Watch Videos before Class
  • noted in Calendar below
  • bring any questions to class
 2) In-person Class (no zoom/recording will be available) Mon, Wed 3pm-4:30pm in 26-100
  • a deeper dive into concepts
  • and more in-class coding

Office Hours in 38-370

Start Sept 4
Mon-Thu: 11am - 9pm
(Closed during MW 3-5pm)
Fri: 11am - 4pm
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Blended Learning

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This Week's Pset

Problem Set 3
Due: Oct 16 at 09:00PM

Calendar and Materials 6.100A - Fall 2025

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
9/1 PS 0 out
9/2
9/3: Lecture 1 zip
Link: in-class content
Topics: Introduction to Python: knowledge, machines, objects, types, variables, bindings, IDEs
Readings: Ch 1, Ch 2.1-2.2
Lec1 Finger Ex. out PS 1 out
9/4
Microquiz 0 (testing microquiz mechanics, not for points, take it on your own between 4:30pm and 9:30pm)
9/5 PS 0 due at 9PM (No checkoff for PS 0) No Recitations in 6.100A
9/8: Lecture 2
Link: in-class content
Topics: Core elements of programs: strings, input/output, f-strings, operators, branching, indentation
Readings: Ch 2.3-2.4
Lec2 Finger Ex. out Lec1 Finger Ex. due
9/9
9/10: Lecture 3
Link: in-class content
Topics: Program Flow: control flow, loops
Readings: Ch 2.5-2.8
Microquiz 1 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec3 Finger Ex. out Lec2 Finger Ex. due
9/11 PS 1 halfway-handin due at 9PM
9/12
9/15: Lecture 4
Link: in-class content
Topics: Iteration, simple programs: guess and check, binary, fractions
Readings: Ch 3.1, 3.3
Lec4 Finger Ex. out Lec3 Finger Ex. due
9/16 Last Day We Accept Adds
9/17: Lecture 5
Link: in-class content
Topics: Simple Algorithms: approximation method, floats
Readings: Ch 3.3, 3.2
Microquiz 2 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec5 Finger Ex. out Lec4 Finger Ex. due
9/18 PS 2 out PS 1 due at 9PM
9/19: Student Holiday PS 1 Checkoffs start No OH
9/22: Lecture 6
Link: in-class content
Topics: Simple Algorithms: bisection search, Newton-Raphson
Readings: Ch 3.4, 3.5
Lec6 Finger Ex. out Lec5 Finger Ex. due
9/23
9/24: Lecture 7
Link: in-class content
Topics: Functions: decomposition, abstraction, specifications
Readings: Ch 4.1-4.2
Microquiz 3 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec7 Finger Ex. out Lec6 Finger Ex. due
9/25 PS 2 halfway-handin due at 9PM
9/26 PS 1 Checkoff due at 4PM
9/29: Lecture 8
Link: in-class content
Topics: Functions: environments, scope, functions as objects
Readings: Ch 4.3-4.6
Lec8 Finger Ex. out Lec7 Finger Ex. due
9/30
10/1: Lecture 9
Link: in-class content
Topics: Tuples and lists
Readings: Ch 5.1-5.3
Microquiz 4 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec9 Finger Ex. out Lec8 Finger Ex. due
10/2 PS 3 out PS 2 due at 9PM
10/3 PS 2 Checkoffs start
10/6: Lecture 10
Link: in-class content
Topics: List operations, mutability: mutation, aliasing, tricky examples with loops over L
Readings: Ch 5.3-5.5
Lec10 Finger Ex. out Lec9 Finger Ex. due
10/7
10/8: Lecture 11
Link: in-class content
Topics: Alising and cloning
Readings: Ch 5.3-5.5
Microquiz 5 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec11 Finger Ex. out Lec10 Finger Ex. due
10/9 PS 3 halfway-handin due at 9PM
10/10 PS 2 Checkoff due at 4PM
10/13: Holiday No OH. Post on Piazza instead.
10/14
10/15: Lecture 12
Link: in-class content
Topics: List comprehensions, more functions as objects, default arguments, Debugging: glass box/black box testing, examples
Readings: Ch 4.4, Ch 8
Lec12 Finger Ex. out Lec11 Finger Ex. due
10/16 PS 4 out PS 3 due at 9PM
10/17 PS 3 Checkoffs start
10/20: Lecture 13
Link: in-class content
Topics: Exceptions, assertions
Readings: Ch 9
Microquiz 6 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec13 Finger Ex. out Lec12 Finger Ex. due
10/21
10/22: Lecture 14
Link: in-class content
Topics: Dictionaries: keys, values, mutability, iteration over a dict, examples
Readings: Ch 5.7
Lec14 Finger Ex. out Lec13 Finger Ex. due
10/23
10/24 PS 3 Checkoff due at 4PM
10/27: Lecture 15
Link: in-class content
Topics: Recursion: iteration vs recursion, inductive reasoning
Readings: Ch 6.1
Microquiz 7 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec15 Finger Ex. out Lec14 Finger Ex. due
10/28
10/29: Lecture 16
Link: in-class content
Topics: Recursion: fibonacci, fibonacci with a dict, recursion on non-numerics, recursion on lists, Towers of Hanoi (extra)
Readings: Ch 6.2-6.4
Lec16 Finger Ex. out Lec15 Finger Ex. due
10/30 PS 4 halfway-handin due at 9PM
10/31
11/3: Lecture 17
Link: in-class content
Topics: Object Oriented Programming: data abstraction, class def, class instances, methods
Readings: Ch 10.1
Microquiz 8 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec17 Finger Ex. out Lec16 Finger Ex. due
11/4
11/5: Lecture 18
Link: in-class content
Topics: Object Oriented Programming: dunder methods, examples
Readings: Ch 10.1
Lec18 Finger Ex. out Lec17 Finger Ex. due
11/6 PS 5 out PS 4 due at 9PM
11/7 PS 4 Checkoffs start
11/10: Holiday No OH. Post on Piazza instead.
11/11
11/12: Lecture 19
Link: in-class content
Topics: Inheritance: hierarchies, subclasses, using inherited methods, examples
Readings: Ch 10.2
Lec19 Finger Ex. out Lec18 Finger Ex. due
11/13 PS 5 halfway-handin due at 9PM
11/14 PS 4 Checkoff due at 4PM
11/17: Lecture 20
Link: in-class content
Topics: Inheritance: more examples
Readings: Ch 10.4
Lec20 Finger Ex. out Lec19 Finger Ex. due
11/18
11/19: Lecture 21
Link: in-class content
Topics: Complexity: measuring efficiency, timing programs, counting operations
Readings: Ch 11
Lec20 Finger Ex. due Last Day to Drop Class No L21 Finger Ex.
11/20 PS 5 due at 9PM
11/21 PS 5 Checkoffs start
11/24: Lecture 22
Link: in-class content
Topics: Complexity: Big-Oh notation, Big-Theta notation, complexity relations and classes, calc complexity
Readings: Ch 11
Microquiz 9 (45 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec22 Finger Ex. out
11/25
11/26: Thanksgiving Travel No Class or OH
11/27: Thanksgiving No Class or OH
11/28: Thanksgiving No Class or OH
12/1: Lecture 23
Link: in-class content
Topics: string and list examples, analyzing complexity, Search: indirection, linear search, bisection search
Readings: Ch 12.1
Microquiz 10 (30 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec23 Finger Ex. out Lec22 Finger Ex. due PS 5 Checkoff due at 4PM
12/2
12/3: Lecture 24
Link: in-class content
Topics: Sort: bogo, bubble, selection, merge sort
Readings: Ch 12.2
Lec23 Finger Ex. due ---------
Optional Mastery Quiz (Optional customized quiz based on your lowest quiz performance, see course info. 30 min in class on your computer.)
No L24 Finger Ex.
12/4 No OH Today and Beyond
12/5
12/8: Lecture 25
Link: in-class content
Topics: Visualizations, genAI, wrapup
Readings: Ch 12.3, 13, 17
No L25 Finger Ex.
12/9
12/10
12/11
12/12