C Programming Language

In this class, we will understand the importance of learning the C Language, exploring the main reasons that make it one of the most influential languages in computing.

We will also analyze its striking features, which make it the foundation for many other modern languages and essential for understanding the internal workings of computers.

Why learn C?

The C programming language is considered a fast language to learn. Thus, some of the main reasons to learn C are:

• Control over memory: Unlike more modern languages that manage memory automatically, C gives you direct access to it. This means that you will learn to allocate and deallocate memory manually, a fundamental skill for understanding how programs interact with hardware.
• Deep understanding of operations: C requires you to detail every step of an operation. While other languages offer functions that do the work for you, C forces you to build the logic from scratch. This is crucial for a computer scientist, as the knowledge of "how" and "why" each process works is what really matters.
• Foundation for other languages: Many popular languages today, such as C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, and Python, were directly influenced by the syntax and concepts of C. Learning C, therefore, makes it easier to transition to other languages, as you will already have a solid foundation.

Characteristics of the C language.

1. High-level language: Its commands resemble natural language (English), making the code more readable. Examples include printf (print), scanf (read), and if (if).
2. Compiled Language: To run C code, it needs to be translated by a compiler into an executable file. This makes it extremely fast. The disadvantage is that every change to the source code requires a new compilation.
3. Imperative: The code is formed by a sequence of commands, which makes the language much easier to learn as it follows a simple execution sequence. We give a sequence of commands (Do this, do that...) and in the end, it does what we want.
4. Case-Sensitive: The C language differentiates between lowercase and uppercase letters. Because of this, we have to pay close attention. Beginners often make many mistakes regarding case sensitivity, writing words in uppercase and having them not work. Thus:
   • a != A
   • ronaldo != ronaLdo
   • printf != Printf
   • Julio != JuLIo
   • thalyson != ThAlYsOn
     

Conclusion

In this class, you learned why the C language is important, its main characteristics, and how it helps to better understand the internal workings of programs. We saw that C offers control over memory, requires us to detail every step of operations, and serves as a foundation for other languages. We also understood concepts like high-level, compiled, imperative, and case-sensitive, which are essential for writing correct and efficient code.

Now you know the reasons to learn C, its main characteristics, and how it helps build a solid foundation in programming. 😃