Phase 2: Control Structures - Making Smart Programs
Learn to Make Decisions and Repeat Actions
Now that you understand the basics, it’s time to make your programs intelligent! This phase teaches you how to create programs that can think, decide, and automate repetitive tasks.
What You’ll Master
- Decision Making: Using
if,else if, andelsestatements - Complex Logic: Combining conditions with logical operators
- Loops: Automating repetitive tasks with
for,while, anddo-whileloops - Program Flow: Controlling how your programs execute
- Problem Solving: Breaking down complex problems into manageable parts
Skills You’ll Develop
By the end of Phase 2, your programs will be able to:
- Make different decisions based on user input
- Respond intelligently to various conditions
- Repeat tasks automatically without code duplication
- Handle complex logical scenarios
- Create interactive games and utilities
Current Progress
- ✅ Session 6: Introduction to Decision Making
- ✅ Session 7: Advanced Conditions and Nested Logic
- ✅ Session 8: Introduction to Loops
- 🔄 Session 9: Nested Loops and Complex Patterns (Coming Soon)
- 🔄 Session 10: Loop Applications and Problem Solving (Coming Soon)
- 🔄 Session 11: Control Structures Final Project (Coming Soon)
Time Commitment
- 6+ Sessions Total (3 currently available)
- 8+ hours of guided learning
- Progressive complexity with hands-on projects
Prerequisites
- ✅ Completion of Phase 1: Programming Foundations
- Understanding of variables, input/output, and basic operations
- Comfort with the C++ development environment
Continue your journey with the available sessions, and watch your programs become truly intelligent!
Session 6: Introduction to Decision Making
Session 6: Introduction to Decision Making
Learn conditional statements and decision making. Create programs that respond differently to user input.
🎯 Key Skills You'll Learn:
- if, else if, else statements
- Comparison operators
- Logical operators
- Boolean logic
🚀 Session Project:
Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
Learning Objectives
- Understand conditional statements and decision making
- Learn the
if,else if, andelsestatements - Create programs that respond differently to user input
- Understand boolean logic and comparisons
Warm-up (10 minutes)
Think about decisions you make every day:
Session 7: Advanced Conditions and Nested Logic
Session 7: Advanced Conditions and Nested Logic
Create more sophisticated decision-making with nested conditions, logical operators, and switch statements for cleaner code.
🎯 Key Skills You'll Learn:
- Nested if statements
- Complex logical conditions
- Switch statements
- Ternary operator
🚀 Session Project:
Smart Calculator with Error Checking
Learning Objectives
- Learn about nested if statements
- Understand complex logical conditions
- Practice combining multiple conditions
- Create more sophisticated decision-making programs
Warm-up (5 minutes)
Modify your Rock, Paper, Scissors game from last session. What would you need to change to make the computer pick a random choice instead of always the same one?
Session 8: Introduction to Loops
Session 8: Introduction to Loops
Learn to make programs repeat actions automatically. Master different types of loops for counting, conditions, and user interaction.
🎯 Key Skills You'll Learn:
- for loops
- while loops
- do-while loops
- Loop control (break, continue)
🚀 Session Project:
Pattern Printer with Multiple Designs
Learning Objectives
- Understand what loops are and why they’re useful
- Learn the
forloop for counting - Learn the
whileloop for conditions - Practice creating repetitive programs
Warm-up (10 minutes)
Imagine you want to print numbers 1 to 100. How would you do it with what you know so far? Write out the first 10 lines of such a program. Do you see a problem with this approach?