Programming Logic by Hand: Variables, Trace Tables, Conditions, Loops, Arrays & Strings, Functions, Recursion and Debugging Off-by-One Errors
Learn to read code the way a computer runs it. You will trace toy pseudocode line by line, track every variable in a trace table, test each branch of a condition, unroll counting and while loops, search and reverse arrays and strings, call functions with parameter tables, follow a recursive call stack down and back up and hunt off-by-one bugs, with every cell checked as you go.
One-time payment · lifetime access · lessons, labs, exam and certificate included · no subscription.
About this course
This course teaches programming logic by running toy pseudocode by hand in a spreadsheet, without any programming language. You trace assignments and a swap with a temporary variable, turn if / else-if chains into IFS and measure branch coverage, unroll for-loops with accumulators and nested loops, and follow while loops with INT and MOD, a halving loop and a guarded 3n + 1 sequence. You work with 0-based and 1-based indexes, a running maximum and MID and LEN on strings, call functions from a parameter table, unwind a recursive call stack and compare buggy and fixed traces to find off-by-one errors.
Lessons
- Variables & Assignment: One Executed Line per Row, a Column per Variable and the Swap with a Temporary Pro
- Conditions: If / Else-If Chains as IFS, AND/OR/NOT and a Test Table that Reaches Every Branch Pro
- Counting Loops: a For-Loop Row by Row, Accumulators, Running Totals and Nested Loops Pro
- While Loops & Termination: Digit Sums with INT and MOD, Halving to a Limit, a Toy 3n + 1 Sequence and an Iteration Guard Pro
- Arrays & Strings: 0-Based vs 1-Based Positions, the Running Maximum, Counting Matches and Reversing a Word Pro
- Functions: Parameters & Return Values, a Call Log and Functions With and Without Side Effects Pro
- Recursion: a Call-Stack Table Going Down and Coming Back Up, the Same Task as a Loop and Stack Depth Pro
- Capstone – Debugging: < vs <= in Loop Bounds, Wrong Start Values, Buggy vs Fixed Traces, a Test Table and a Bug Chart Pro