Children, in the previous chapter we learned that a computer consists of hardware and software.

Now let us turn our attention to another interesting question:

What Is a Program?

Why does a computer follow our commands?

How do computer games work?

How does YouTube show videos?

How can ChatGPT answer questions?

The short answer to all of these questions is that they all work with the help of special programs (software).

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🍳 Instructions Like a Recipe

To better understand this topic, let us compare it to a simple example. Imagine that your mother is teaching you how to bake bread.

Suppose she gives you these instructions:

1. Prepare the flour, salt, and water.
2. Add the yeast.
3. Knead the dough.
4. Put it into the oven.
5. Wait until it is baked.

As you can see, all of these instructions follow a specific order.

If we changed the order of the steps, the bread might not turn out the way we wanted.

A computer program works in exactly the same way.

It tells the computer what to do, step by step.

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🤖 Can a Computer Think by Itself?

Many people think that computers are very intelligent.

In reality, computers work incredibly fast.

However, they do not think the way people do.

A computer only follows the instructions it is given.

If no instructions are provided, the computer does not know what it should do.

That is why programmers write programs.

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📝 What Is a Program?

A program is a collection of instructions that a computer follows.

For example:

• 🎮 Games
• 📱 WhatsApp
• 🌐 Google Chrome
• 📸 Photo editing programs
• 🎵 Music players
• 📝 Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
• 🤖 Artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT

All of these are programs.

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🔤 What Is Code?

The people who create programs are called programmers.

They write instructions that computers can understand.

These instructions are called code.

Code is the language of instructions written for a computer.

People communicate in languages such as Kyrgyz, English, or Russian.

Computers, however, understand code.

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🌍 How Many Programming Languages Are There?

Children, did you know that there are thousands of programming languages in the world?

No one can say the exact number.

That is because new languages continue to be created, while others are no longer used.

Throughout history, thousands of programming languages have been developed.

Some studies suggest that more than 8,000 programming languages have been documented.

However, only a small number of them are widely used.

Most software is written using only a few dozen popular programming languages.

Therefore, you do not need to learn every programming language.

Understanding the most important ones is enough.

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🏆 The Best Programming Languages for Children

If you would like to become a programmer, the following languages are excellent places to start.

🧩 Scratch

A visual programming environment designed especially for children.

Instead of typing code, you use colorful blocks.

With Scratch, you can create games and animations.

🐍 Python

One of the most popular programming languages in the world.

It is easy to learn.

It is used in artificial intelligence, robotics, data analysis, and website development.

🌐 JavaScript

Most interactive websites are built using this programming language.

📱 Dart

It is used to develop mobile applications.

The Flutter framework is built on this language.

🎮 Lua

A simple programming language used in some video games.

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🪜 Levels of Programming Languages

Not all programming languages are the same.

Some are very close to the way computers work, while others are easier for people to understand.

That is why programming languages are divided into two main groups.

• Low-Level Languages
• High-Level Languages

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⚙️ What Are Low-Level Languages?

Low-level languages are programming languages that are very close to the way a computer works internally.

They are written in a form that is close to the language understood by the computer's processor.

These languages are quite difficult to learn.

However, they help us gain a deeper understanding of how computers work.

There are two well-known types of low-level languages:

• ⚙️ Machine Language
• ⚙️ Assembly Language

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0️⃣1️⃣ What Is Machine Language?

At its most basic level, a computer understands only two symbols:

0 and 1

Earlier, we learned that this is called the binary system.

Eventually, the computer's processor processes all information in this form.

For example:

10110110
11001001
11100011

These numbers may seem confusing to people.

However, a computer understands them immediately.

Machine language is extremely difficult for humans to read.

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⚙️ What Is Assembly Language?

Later, people invented Assembly language to make working with computers easier.

This language is considered easier to read than machine language.

For example:

MOV A, 5
ADD A, 2

These commands perform simple tasks such as moving and adding data.

Assembly language is commonly used when developing microchips, robots, and operating systems.

However, it is not easy for beginners to learn.

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🚀 What Are High-Level Languages?

High-level languages were created to make programming easier for people.

Today, most programmers use these languages.

For example:

• 🐍 Python
• ☕ Java
• 🌐 JavaScript
• ⚙️ C++
• 📱 Dart
• 🦀 Rust

For example, here is one of the simplest Python programs:

print("Hello, World!")

This program displays:

Hello, World!

on the screen.

This code is much easier to read than machine language.

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🏠 Building a House: An Example

Let us compare the difference between low-level and high-level languages to building a house.

A person working with a low-level language is like a builder who makes every brick by hand.

They carefully control every small detail.

A person working with a high-level language is like an architect.

They can see the bigger picture and complete the work more quickly.

Both are important.

However, high-level languages are much easier for beginners.

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🤖 If Artificial Intelligence Can Write Code, Is It Still Worth Learning Programming?

Today, artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT can help people write computer programs.

Some people call this vibe coding because a person simply explains an idea in everyday language, and the AI generates code based on those instructions.

So, does this mean there is no longer any need to learn programming?

According to many experts, the answer is no.

Learning programming is not just about learning how to write code.

It teaches us how to think logically, solve problems, and understand how computers work.

Artificial intelligence can be an excellent assistant.

However, it still needs people who understand what they are building.

The better you understand programming, the more effectively you can use artificial intelligence.

Today, many experts in computer science and artificial intelligence believe that AI will not completely replace programmers. Instead, it will become a powerful assistant that helps programmers work more efficiently.

That is why learning programming is still important today. Artificial intelligence is a valuable tool that helps us turn our ideas into reality.

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🧠 What Is an Algorithm?

One of the most important concepts in computer science is the algorithm.

An algorithm is a precise sequence of steps that is followed to solve a particular problem.

For example, here is an algorithm for brushing your teeth:

1. Pick up your toothbrush.
2. Put toothpaste on it.
3. Brush your teeth.
4. Rinse your mouth.
5. Wash the toothbrush and put it back in its place.

Computer programs are built from algorithms just like this.

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🎮 How Does Jumping Work in a Game?

Imagine that you press the "Jump" button while playing a game.

The computer performs the following steps:

1. It detects that the button has been pressed.
2. It checks whether the character should jump.
3. It calculates the character's new position.
4. It updates the image on the screen.
5. It plays the sound effect.

All of this works through algorithms that were written in advance.

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🤖 Is Artificial Intelligence Also a Program?

Yes.

Artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT are also made up of computer programs.

However, they are trained on enormous amounts of information and are able to communicate with people.

Even so, at their core are algorithms, data, and code.

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🎨 Activity: Write Your Own Algorithm

Choose one of the following activities:

• 🍞 Making a sandwich
• 🦷 Brushing your teeth
• 🎒 Getting ready for school
• ⚽ Getting ready to play football

Write the steps in the correct order.

This will become your very first algorithm.

Now, let's write these algorithms together in the Python programming language using https://www.w3schools.com/python/.

To begin, click the Activity 1 button and complete the tasks that I have prepared for you.

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💬 Let's Think

1. What is a program?
2. What is code?
3. Who is a programmer?
4. How many programming languages are there in the world?
5. What is the difference between low-level and high-level programming languages?
6. Why is machine language written using only 0 and 1?
7. Why is Assembly language needed?
8. Why is Python considered a suitable programming language for children?
9. What is an algorithm?
10. Is artificial intelligence also considered a program?

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🚀 In the Next Chapter

Children, now we understand what happens inside a computer and how programs work.

However, computers do not work alone.

They communicate with millions of other computers around the world.

What is this connection called?

What is the Internet?

Why can we talk to people on the other side of the world in just a few seconds?

How does information travel from one country to another?

We will explore these exciting questions together in the next chapter.