To illustrate the themes of the course, you will learn:

• how we live surrounded by things we sense, and the ways in which we can capture those things and reproduce or transform them using a computer;
  
• how such a transformation is achieved by choosing a code for representing each of these things (sound, sight, touch) and assigning meanings to the code;
  
• how data is organized so that it can be displayed as text, sound or as a computer graphic;
  
• how one form of data can be transformed into another, so that on the one hand, a computer can process it, and on the other, a human being can understand it;
  
• how data stored all over the world in various archives can be found using a search engine;
  
• how computer programs work, that is, how they process data such as that found in a sensor on a satellite and transform it into a form from which information, such as a map, can be extracted.

You will also learn something about how to write a simple program. This will provide you with the basic knowledge required for further study of computing if you wish to continue with the subject. However, if your interests lie elsewhere you will find that what you learn will enable you to produce better information (whether it is a website, a document, a piece of music, or a picture) and to combine these different types of information successfully.