Sequence and arithmetic operators

Build the idea

Start with the concept and its key vocabulary.

Key idea

Trace a sequence and use the four basic arithmetic operators in a program.

Sequence is the simplest programming construct: each instruction runs in the order it is written. That order matters because a calculation can only use values that already exist. Use + for addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication and / for ordinary division.

Sequence

Instructions executed in order, one after another, from top to bottom.

Arithmetic operator

A symbol that tells a program to perform a numerical calculation.

Expression

Values, variables and operators combined to produce a result.

Operand

A value or variable that an operator acts on.

Keep these in mind

Trace code from the first line to the last line.
A later line sees the values left by all earlier assignments.
Use * for multiplication; the letter x is not a programming operator.
The / operator performs ordinary division and can produce a decimal result.

Build the idea

Start with the concept and its key vocabulary.

Key idea

Trace a sequence and use the four basic arithmetic operators in a program.

Sequence

Instructions executed in order, one after another, from top to bottom.

Arithmetic operator

A symbol that tells a program to perform a numerical calculation.

Expression

Values, variables and operators combined to produce a result.

Operand

A value or variable that an operator acts on.

Keep these in mind

Trace code from the first line to the last line.
A later line sees the values left by all earlier assignments.
Use * for multiplication; the letter x is not a programming operator.
The / operator performs ordinary division and can produce a decimal result.