a computer system is not just a machine, but a complete system consisting of hardware, software, data, users, and procedures, all working together to perform specific tasks.

This chapter introduces students to: The concept of number systems, The need for different number systems, The role of encoding schemes in representing data.

Emerging trends in computing are technologies that are new, innovative, and have the potential to significantly impact society, business, and technology in the near future. These trends influence how data is generated, processed, stored, and shared.

Problem solving is the **core skill of computer science**. Before a computer can solve any problem, the problem must be **clearly understood, logically analysed, and systematically broken down** into steps that a computer can execute.

We are introduced to the programming language Python from this chapter onwards. As a student, you should start coding using Python. Whatever code used in this and subsequent chapters can be cut and pasted into Python executable enviornemnt.

Sequence, Selection and Iteration controls the flow of any programming language. We will explore if-else (selection), for and while loops (iteration) here!

In programming, the use of function is one of the means to achieve modularity and reusability. Function can be defined as a named group of instructions that accomplish a specific task when it is invoked.

String is a sequence which is made up of one or more UNICODE characters.Python does not have a character data type. String of length one is considered as character.

The data type list is an ordered sequence which is mutable and made up of one or more elements. Unlike a string which consists of only characters, a list can have elements of different data types, such as integer, float, string, tuple or even another list.

Tuples are immutable sequences, as we cannot change the elements of a tuple once it is created. Dictionary is a mapping (non-scalar) data type. It is an unordered collection of key-value pair

This chapter helps students understand: Responsible use of digital technologies, Rights and duties of users in a digital society, Legal aspects related to information technology, Risks such as cyber crime and data misuse and Impact of technology on physical and mental health