What is Computer Science?
Computer science is putting your imagination in action. Computer Science is about solving problems, solving puzzles, manipulating information, applying abstraction to real-life situations. Computer science is about combining different disciplines such as math and science to tackle a problem. Computer science is about creating and/or analyzing solutions to real-world problems.

Computer science is not just about the tools we use to perform computations. It is about how we use such tools, and what we find out when we do. The solution of many computer science problems may not even require the use of computers, but just pencil and paper. As a matter of fact, problems in computer science have been tackled decades before computers were even invented. Having said that, the design and implementation of computing system hardware and software is filled with challenges and fundamental problems that keep computer scientists busy.

To me, computer science is like Physics. Both disciplines study how the world functions at a fundamental level. However, there is an important difference. The difference is that in Physics you're supposed to figure out how the world is made up, in Computer Science you create the world. In Physics you are constrain with existing rules, but in computer science the only things that limit you are the capabilities of the machine and your own abilities.

Click on the picture to watch a video about Computer Science >>>>>>>>>

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How would you write a Computer program to allow two persons play the popular game Tic Tac Toe?

What is AP Computer Science all about?
AP Computer Science is an introductory CS course, which is intended to be the equivalent of a first-year college course in Computer Science.
My syllabus for AP Computer science received authorization in May, 2007. Every AP teacher must submit his/her syllabus to the College Board for accreditation. A College Board Committee reviews each course syllabus to verify they include every topic a college level course includes. If the College Board does not approve the course syllabus for a particular course, the course can not be labeled Advance Placement.

Program Example

The following Java progam will draw the figure on the right side:

import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
public class DrawSnowMan extends Applet
{
   public void paint(Graphics g) {
     g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
     g.fillRect(0, 0, 300, 300);
     g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
     g.fillOval(100, 100, 20, 20);
     g.fillOval(94, 115, 32, 32);
     g.fillOval(85,140,50,50);
     g.setColor(Color.WHITE);
     g.fillOval(105, 105, 3, 3);
     g.fillOval(113, 105, 3, 3);
     g.fillOval(109, 110, 4, 2);
   }
}

How/what will students learn?
I normally split the class in two sections: lecture and hand-on activities. I usually devote the first 15 or 20 minutes to introduce a new concept. Then, I ask students to work on programming assignment using their computer. Students will develop computer programs or parts of programs that correctly solve a given problem.We use the Java programming language to write our computer programs. We develop "basic", but challenging, application and graphics programs.

Here are some Graphics students do in AP Computer Science

What are some of the labs/projects?
The objective of the AP program is to provide students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high. Therefore, the main objective of any AP is to prepare you for the AP exam. For the first semester and part of the second, we focus on the fundamentals of computer science. The programming labs and projects are considerably easy, but challenging. And, no, this is not a contradiction. We write application and graphics programs, which require students to immediately apply concepts we learn in class.
After the AP exam, we do open ending projects. Students will choose what kind of program they want to develop.

How will APCS help me?

• APCS will count as your fourth math credit under the Recommended High School Plan (RHSP).



• APCS counts as your technology applications graduation requirement credit.



• College Credit



• This course is beneficial if you are considering a major in one of the following fields:

           Just to mention some

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What is the Prerequisite for AP CS?
A student wanting to enroll in AP Computer Science must have one of the following classes:

     Computer Science 1 
          PreAP Computer Science
          Geometry
          Algebra 2
          Or, AP Teacher approval.

NOTE: I start teaching APCS with the assumption that no student has previous knowledge of computer science. Students who have taken a CS course before will move at a faster pace and will have time to assist their peers.

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