Introduction to CS and Programming using Python
(Spring 2026)

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  • Watch videos before class, noted in Calendar below
  • Class is active learning, dive deeper into concepts

Office Hours
in 38-370

Start Feb 4
Mon-Wed: 5-9pm
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This Week's Pset

Problem Set 2
Due: Mar 03 at 09:00PM
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
2/2: 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
2/3
2/4: 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
2/5
Microquiz 0 (testing microquiz mechanics, not for points, take it on your own between 4:30pm and 9:30pm)
2/6 PS 0 due at 9PM (No checkoff for PS 0) No Recitations in 6.100A
2/9: 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
2/10 PS 1 halfway-handin due at 9PM
2/11: 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
2/12
2/13
2/16: Holiday No OH. Post on Piazza instead.
2/17: 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 PS 2 out PS 1 due at 9PM
2/18: 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 PS 1 Checkoffs start
2/19
2/20 Last Day We Accept Adds
2/23: 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
2/24 PS 2 halfway-handin due at 9PM
2/25: Lecture 8
Link: in-class content
Topics: Functions: environments, scope, functions as parameters
Readings: Ch 4.3-4.6

Lec8 Finger Ex. out Lec7 Finger Ex. due PS 1 Checkoff due at 8PM
2/26
2/27
3/2: 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
3/3 PS 3 out PS 2 due at 9PM
3/4: 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 PS 2 Checkoffs start
3/5
3/6
3/9: 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
3/10 PS 3 halfway-handin due at 9PM
3/11: Lecture 12
Link: in-class content
Topics: List comprehensions, functions as returns, default arguments, debugging
Readings: Ch 4.4, Ch 8

Lec12 Finger Ex. out Lec11 Finger Ex. due PS 2 Checkoff due at 8PM
3/12
3/13
3/16: 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
3/17 PS 4 out PS 3 due at 9PM
3/18: 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 PS 3 Checkoffs start
3/19
3/20
3/23: Spring Break No Class or OH
3/24: Spring Break No Class or OH
3/25: Spring Break No Class or OH
3/26: Spring Break No Class or OH
3/27: Spring Break No Class or OH
3/30: 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
3/31 PS 4 halfway-handin due at 9PM
4/1: Lecture 16
Link: in-class content
Topics: Recursion: fibonacci, fibonacci with a dict, recursion on non-numerics, recursion on lists
Readings: Ch 6.2-6.4

Lec16 Finger Ex. out Lec15 Finger Ex. due PS 3 Checkoff due at 8PM
4/2
4/3
4/6: 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
4/7 PS 5 out PS 4 due at 9PM
4/8: 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 PS 4 Checkoffs start
4/9
4/10
4/13: 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
4/14 PS 5 halfway-handin due at 9PM
4/15: Lecture 20
Link: in-class content
Topics: Inheritance: more examples
Readings: Ch 10.4

Lec20 Finger Ex. out Lec19 Finger Ex. due PS 4 Checkoff due at 8PM
4/16
4/17
4/20
4/21 PS 5 due at 9PM Last Day to Drop Class
4/22: Lecture 21
Link: in-class content
Topics: Complexity: measuring efficiency, timing programs, counting operations
Readings: Ch 11

Microquiz 9 (45 minutes in-class on your computer)
Lec20 Finger Ex. due PS 5 Checkoffs start No L21 Finger Ex.
4/23
4/24
4/27: Lecture 22
Link: in-class content
Topics: Complexity: Big-Oh notation, Big-Theta notation, complexity relations and classes, calc complexity
Readings: Ch 11

Lec22 Finger Ex. out
4/28
4/29: 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 8PM
4/30
5/1
5/4: Lecture 24
Link: in-class content
Topics: Sort: bogo, bubble, selection, merge sort
Readings: Ch 12.2

Mastery Quiz (Optional customized quiz based on your lowest quiz performance, see course info. 45 min in class on your computer.)
Lec23 Finger Ex. due ---------
Quiz Survey (Optional, taken after the quiz!)
No L24 Finger Ex.
5/5 No OH Today and Beyond
5/6: Lecture 25
Link: in-class content
Topics: Visualizations, genAI, wrapup
Readings: Ch 12.3, 13, 17

No L25 Finger Ex.
5/7
5/8
5/11
5/12
5/13
5/14
5/15