Getting Started with C++ Programming
This web page is an online mini course for C++ programming. It’s intended to get students started programming with C++ in a short period of time (2 weeks). This “head start” will provide students with a good background to learn more advanced C++ topics, such as those covered in MIAE 215 (also know as MECH 215), and hit the ground running in a busy first term.
A large number of students fall behind in MIAE 215 due to an insufficient computer / programming background. This online mini course is intended to help address this issue in addition to improving the performance (and grades) for all students taking MIAE 215. The small amount of time you spend (about 5-10 hours) with this mini course could save you a lot of time later on. Please take advantage of this resource.
There are no labs or tutorials during the first two weeks of the term. Instead, students are expected to complete lessons #1 to #4 of the MIAE 215 online mini course (see the link below) during the first week. All mini course lessons should be completed by the end of the second week.
Note that the upcoming MIAE 215 lectures assume you have taken the mini course.
Roughly 1-2 hours should be spent on each lesson over 2 weeks. It’s not recommend to attempt the entire course in 1 week as it takes some time for the material to sink in properly. You should probably do more exercise problems if you finish early and have some time.
If you have any problems with Lesson #1 and Lesson #2 (basically software installation and compiler usage) you can email me at: bwgordon@encs.concordia.ca. Please use “MIAE 215 mini course” as the subject. For the other lessons (#3 to #6) don’t email me (unless there is a technical problem with the webpage) since the course is intended to be an online course without “human” support.
Please see the MECH 215 Common Web Page for specific recommendations on computers you can use for this course.
Motivation for Learning C++ Programming
C++ programming is an important skill for mechanical, aerospace, and industrial engineering students. Programming is the language of automation since computers are normally used to carry out automation tasks. Automation is needed in all aspects of engineering including manufacturing, design/analysis, autonomous vehicles, and mechatronics/robotics. There are many well-paying jobs in mechanical, aerospace, and industrial engineering that combine traditional engineering with programming especially related to automation and mechatronics. Programming is also a very useful skill for the students in our department since many project courses in the department such as MECH 390 (mini-capstone which involves Arduino / robots) and MECH 490 (capstone which usually involves Arduino / mechatronics), and external clubs (Space Concordia, SAE Concordia, etc.) make extensive use of mechatronics and microcontroller boards such as Arduino. All of these activities involve significant amounts of C++ programming.
Lessons
The time indicated in () is meant as a guide. You could go slower if you want, but I don’t recommend going faster (do more exercise problems if you finish early).
If you run into problems please check the following troubleshooting guide first:
This covers typical problems students have with the mini-course. Please look at it carefully before asking any questions.
Note that the lesson #1 videos have no audio for the most part. Audio begins in lesson #2.
If you get a "file can't be downloaded securely" message when downloading a file in your browser then click the right of the message and select "keep" file.
Lesson #1: Software Installation (week 1)
Lesson #2: C++ Programs (week 1)
Lesson #3: Variable Types (week 1)
Lesson #4: Expressions and Operators (week 1 or 2)
Lesson #5: Control Statements (week 2)
Lesson #6: Arrays (week 2 -- this is the final lesson in the mini course)