Introduction to Computer Science YMT113 · Fall 2026 Assoc. Prof. Ferhat Uçar

Fırat University · Software Engineering · YMT113

Introduction to
Computer Science

From bits to the web, one language at a time. Built on Harvard's CS50: you learn how computers think, then you make them do what you want, in C first, then Python, SQL and the web, with a lab every Monday and a project that is yours.

Next class · Week 5 → >_ Lab 4 First-time setup
When
Monday
13:15–17:00
Where
B101 / YM LAB
Who
Assoc. Prof. Ferhat Uçar

try it ↓ type a word, click the bits

>_ everything is bits 1 = on 0 = off

Click the bits of one byte

decimal

0

hex

0x00

ASCII

·

Place values from the left: 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1. Turn on 64 + 8 + 1 and you get 73, which ASCII calls I.

Fall 2026 · 15 Mondays

One semester, six chapters

Each Monday is one lecture and one lab. Click any week to open its notes, the CS50 lecture to watch beforehand, and the lab.

Full schedule
  1. 01 Sep 21
  2. 02 Sep 28
  3. 03 Oct 5
  4. 04 Oct 12
  5. 05 Oct 19
  6. 06 Oct 26
  7. 07 Nov 2
  8. 08 EXAM
  9. 09 Nov 16
  10. 10 Nov 23
  11. 11 Nov 30
  12. 12 Dec 7
  13. 13 Dec 14
  14. 14 Dec 21
  15. 15 Dec 28
  • Foundations
  • C
  • Algorithms & Memory
  • Python · AI · SQL
  • Web
  • HCI & Projects
  1. 01 · weeks 1–2 0 1

    Foundations: Bits and Thinking

    What computer science is, how everything becomes bits, and your first programs in Scratch: the ideas of every language, without the syntax.
  2. 02 · weeks 3–4 int main(void)

    The C Language

    Source code to machine code. Variables, conditionals, loops, functions, then arrays, strings and command-line arguments. You start writing real programs.
  3. 03 · weeks 5–8 *p → &x

    Algorithms, Memory and Data Structures

    Searching, sorting and Big O; pointers, the heap and hexadecimal; linked lists, hash tables and trees. The part of the course that makes you a real programmer.
  4. 04 · weeks 9–11 SELECT *

    Python, AI and Data

    The same ideas in Python in a tenth of the lines; how machine learning and large language models actually work; and SQL, the language of data.
  5. 05 · weeks 12–13 </>

    The Web and the Internet

    HTML, CSS and JavaScript in the browser; then what happens between your laptop and a server: IP, TCP, DNS, HTTP, and how to stay safe.
  6. 06 · weeks 14–15 v1.0

    Humans, Systems and Your Project

    Human-computer interaction and how software is built in industry, then demo day: your project, live, from your own repository.

Why this course

You use computer science all day. This term you get to see inside.

  • 01001000 01101001

    Every photo, song and message

    is bits. Week 2 shows you how text, color and sound become 0s and 1s, and why a byte can only count to 255.

  • int main(void)

    Linux, Windows, your browser, Python itself

    are written in C. The language you learn in weeks 3–4 is the one under everything else.

  • O(log n)

    Searching a billion records in 30 steps

    is binary search. Week 5 is why Google feels instant and why a bad algorithm can freeze an app.

  • *ptr = &x

    Segfaults, memory leaks, buffer overflows

    are the bugs behind most security headlines. Week 6 puts you inside memory so you can see them coming.

  • SELECT … WHERE

    Every app you use has a database

    and talks to it in SQL. Week 11 is the language of data; week 10 is what AI does with that data.

  • <button onclick>

    The web is HTML, CSS and JavaScript

    plus a conversation over HTTP. Weeks 12–13 take you from a blank page to a working site and behind the wires.

How a Monday works

Watch before, build during, push after

The official slot is 13:15–17:00. We use it as a flipped classroom: the CS50 lecture is homework, the lecture hour is for depth and demos, and the lab is where you actually learn to program.

  1. ▶

    Part 1 · 13:30–14:45

    Lecture

    One big idea, live coding on the projector, and questions. You have already watched the CS50 lecture, so we go deeper, faster, and into examples from industry.

  2. >_

    Part 2 · from 15:00 onwards

    Lab

    Accept the week’s lab on Classroom 50, open it in VS Code in your browser and write C. The lab page is written so you can start on your own; tests tell you instantly how you are doing.

  3. ✓

    After class

    Push and prepare

    Finish the lab, git push, read your autograded score. Then watch next week’s CS50 lecture and skim its notes before the next Monday.

50

Before every Monday: the CS50 lecture

You are enrolled in CS50x 2026 on edX. Each week page names the matching lecture by David J. Malan. Watch it on YouTube, read the notes and skim the slides before class. Our Monday assumes you have. The full playlist is public.

First-time lab setup (10 min) How labs work Semester project · 15% of final

Announcements

All →

Contact & channels

Channels

  • WhatsApp channel

    Quick announcements and reminders land here first. Everyone is expected to join.

    Join the channel

  • Instagram · @dr.ferhatucar

    Short, useful posts on AI, software and what we do in class.

    Follow

  • Public work calendar

    My weekly schedule: classes, meetings and when I am available.

    Open calendar

  • Office hours booking

    Questions, your project or advice: pick a time that suits you.

    Book a slot

Labs

All labs →

Grading

Midterm 40% Final exam Project (15% of final)