Algorithms 101

This activity provides a self-study introduction to Algorithms. It has been created for incoming Undergraduate Computer Science students at UCL. Its purpose is to give you some first insights into one of the fundamental topics you will learn during your first year undergraduate degree programme (COMP0005 - Algorithms).

Getting started

This project uses a cloud service Jupyter notebook. When you open one of the following links, the cloud service creates a virtual coding environment in the cloud for you to use so you don't need to install anything on your machine. It will take a few minutes for this 'environment' to be created. Once you have the notebook open using one of the following methods, you should follow the instructions in the notebook itself.

1. Using the notebook in the Binder cloud service (no account required)

If you do not want to create an account, then you can access the notebook using Binder at https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/liciacapra/uclcs-ugy1-summerwelcome-algorithms/master?filepath=incoming_students_algorithms101.ipynb.

Please note that, using this option, you will not be able to save your work and return to it later.

2. Using the notebook in the Microsoft Azure Notebook cloud service (free account required)

If you want to save your work and return to it later, start by creating a free account on https://notebooks.azure.com.

Then access the notebook hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud service at: https://notebooks.azure.com/liciacapra/projects/ucl-cs-ug-summer-welcome-algor

You should first 'clone' the notebook. To do this, after clicking the above link, click on the link to the notebook ('incoming_students_algorithms101.ipynb'). You should see a button in the top right corner of the screen with the word 'clone'. Press this to create a copy (if you are not already logged in to Microsoft Azure Notebooks and you didn't already create an account you will be prompted to create an account now). You may need to wait a few minutes during which a copy of the notebook is made and the 'environment' is created for you.

3. Using a locally installed Python Jupyter notebook environment

If you already have a locally installed Python development environment and code editor, then you may be able to work out how to use the Jupyter notebook on your own machine. You will need to investigate options for doing this yourself depending on your own setup. You will need to install pysort in your local environment which you should be able to do with pip, e.g.:

pip install pysort

Getting help

Ask for help by posting a message on Moodle at {TODO: Add a link to an appropriate discussion forum}.

Feedback and corrections

This notebook is maintained at https://github.com/liciacapra/uclcs-ugy1-summerwelcome-algorithms.

Please report suggestions or errors at https://github.com/liciacapra/uclcs-ugy1-summerwelcome-algorithms/issues.

This notebook was developed by Licia Capra.

Data protection and privacy

TODO: Add statement as to the extent to which MS Azure Notebooks and Binder comply with UCL data. Warn students not to put any personal data in their notebook.

Information on privacy for the Binder service can be found here.

Information on privacy for the Microsoft Azure Notebooks service can be found here.