Foundations of C Programming

This unit introduces core C programming concepts and practical skills needed to write, compile, run, and organize C programs. Students will learn basic syntax, data types, control flow, functions, arrays, pointers, memory management, character and file I/O, and multi‑module organization to prepare for more advanced programming topics in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Demonstrate the ability to set up a C development environment and create, compile, link, and run single‑file and multi‑file C programs using a command‑line toolchain and terminal.
• Apply C language syntax and semantics to declare and use variables, primitive types, arrays, structures, functions, and control structures (conditional and loop constructs) to implement working programs.
• Analyze pointer usage, pointer–array relationships, and dynamic memory allocation/deallocation to identify and correct common memory and pointer-related errors.
• Evaluate and implement character I/O, sequential file access, directory interactions, and time functions, and organize code into modular source and header files for maintainability.