EP3BB3 Introduction to C Programming

EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

Lab 1: Introduction to C Programming 

1 Introduction 

This lab serves as an introduction to C programming language for those who may be new to it, and a 

refresher for those familiar with it. The aim is not an in-depth exploration of C but a review of the basics 

through exercises to ensure your readiness for its applications in the upcoming labs. 

1.1 Software Installation 

In case you haven’t done so already, install Visual Studio Code and C using the instructions provided on 

Avenue to Learn. Please note that this step is time consuming and therefore, you should do this ahead 

of your lab. 

1.2 Hello World! 

To ensure that you have set up Visual Studio Code correctly, open Visual Studio Code and create a New 

File. Name it as you want as file_name.c. Copy the following code: 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void){ 

 printf("Hello World!"); 

 return 0; 

Then use the icon “Debug C/C++ File” from the top right corner of the page (see the image below). You 

should see the phrase “Hello World” in the terminal window. Now that we confirmed everything works, 

let’s get to the lab! 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

2 Lab 1 – The Real Thing 

In this lab, we will have different exercises with a strong focus and emphasis on binary and bitwise 

operations as these will be an essential concept throughout this semester. 

2.1 Sample Program 

Recommended duration for task completion: 10 minutes 

Recall this program from your lecture notes which reads three integer values from the user and prints the 

average. Let’s quickly review this program: 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void) 

 int value1, value2, value3; 

 float sum, average; 

 printf("What is the first value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value1); 

 printf("What is the second value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value2); 

 printf("What is the third value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value3); 

 sum = value1 + value2 + value3; 

 average = sum / 3; 

 printf("The average of %d, %d, and %d is %f\n", value1, value2, value3, 

average); 

 return 0; 

We will be using this example to introduce debuggers! Debuggers help you inspect different portions of 

the code and understand how different variables change as the program runs. You can add “Breakpoints” 

to force your code to pause when it reaches certain points. To enable breakpoints for different lines, you 

can simply click in the area next to the line number (see below). EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

In the example above, we have added two breakpoints in lines 17 and 18. When you run the code by 

pressing Debug C/C++ File, an icon bar appears on the top of screen and when it reaches the breakpoint, 

it will look similar to the image below. Visit this page and review the “Debug actions” table to learn more 

about these icons. 

Now, the values for different variables before calculations of lines 17 and 18 are listed on the left side of 

your screen (see below, picture “a”). When you press “Step Over” from the icon bar above, the values will 

be updated (see below, picture “b”). 

In addition, after running the debugger, you can right click on any variable in your code and select “Add 

to Watch” to inspect that variable. 

Task #2.1: Use the debugger yourself and explain the program above to your TA line by line. 

(a) (b) EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

2.2 if-else Conditional Statements 

Recommended duration for task completion: 20 minutes 

Task #2.2: Write a program that reads a non-zero number from the user and determines if it is even or 

odd. Explain the program to your TA line by line. 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void) 

 // Declare an integer. 

 printf("Please enter a non-zero number: "); 

 // read the number from the user using scanf. 

 // In the following if statement, determine if the number is divisible by 2 

using the modulo operator. 

 /* 

 if (CONDITION) { 

 // Print the entered number is even/odd. You must show the number entered 

by the user. 

 } 

 else { 

 // Print the entered number is odd/even. You must show the number entered 

by the user. 

 } 

 */ 

 return 0; 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

2.3 While Loops 

Recommended duration for task completion: 20 minutes 

Task #2.3: Write a program, using while loops, that writes numbers from 1 to 10. Explain the program to 

your TA line by line. 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void){ 

 // Declare an integer here and initialize it with a reasonable value. 

 // The while loop (below) prints the integer and then increments it, as long 

as it satisfies the CONDITION. 

 // while (CONDITION) { 

 // Print the integer. 

 // Increment the integer. 

 } 

 return 0; 

} EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

2.4 For Loops 

Recommended duration for task completion: 20 minutes 

Task #2.4: Write a program, using for loops, that prints all the even numbers between 1 to 10. Explain the 

program to your TA line by line. 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void){ 

 // Declare an integer. 

 //The for loop (below) should go through the numbers from 0 to 10 and check 

if the number is divisible by 2. 

 //for (start from 0 and increment until 10){ 

 /*if (divisible by 2, for example using the modulo operator){ 

 // Print the value. 

 } 

 else 

 { 

 // Don't do anything. 

 }*/ 

 } 

 return 0; 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

2.5 User-Defined Functions 

Recommended duration for task completion: 20 minutes 

Task #2.5: Rewrite the sample program of task 2.1. Once the user inputs three integers, pass them to 

another function called averageCalculator, which calculates the average and returns the value to the main 

function. The main function, then, prints the calculated average value. Explain the program to your TA line 

by line. 

#include <stdio.h> 

float averageCalculator (int a, int b, int c); 

float average; 

int main(void) 

 int value1, value2, value3; 

 printf("What is the first value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value1); 

 printf("What is the second value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value2); 

 printf("What is the third value? "); 

 scanf("%d", &value3); 

 // Call the averageCalculator function and pass the values. 

 printf("The average of %d, %d, and %d is %f\n", value1, value2, value3, 

average); 

 return 0; 

// Define a function name averageCalculator which reads three integers (as 

arguments) and returns the parameter average as a float. 

/* 

return_type averageCalculator(arguments) 

 Do the calculations here and return the average! 

*/ 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

3 Bitwise operations 

Due to the importance of bitwise operations in the future labs, we will now work on some exercises 

related to this topic. 

3.1 Exercise 3.1 

Recommended duration for task completion: 30 minutes 

Task #3.1: Study and complete the following code. In this code, the user enters two decimal numbers. The 

code will calculate different bitwise operations and prints the results represented in decimal. For example, 

take a value of 7 for a (0000 0111 in binary) and a value of 12 for b (0000 1100 in binary). A bitwise AND 

of these values is 4 represented in decimal which is 0000 0100 in binary. Complete the code, use a 

different set of input number, and show that your results from your on-paper calculations and those 

derived from your code match. 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void) 

 int a, b; 

 printf("What is the first value (in decimal)? "); 

 scanf("%d", &a); 

 printf("What is the second value (in decimal)? "); 

 scanf("%d", &b); 

 printf("The bitwise AND of %d, and %d, REPRESENTED IN DECIMAL, is %d\n", a, 

b, a & b); 

 // Print the bitwise OR of the two numbers. 

 // Print the bitwise XOR of the two numbers. 

 // Print the bitwise NOT of one of the numbers. 

 // Print the bitwise left shift (shifted by one bit) of one of the numbers. 

 // Print the bitwise right shift (shifted by one bit) of one of the numbers. 

 return 0; 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

3.2 Exercise 3.2 

Recommended duration for task completion: 30 minutes 

Imagine you are in a room which has 8 LED light switches controlling 8 different LED lights. Of course, at 

any given time, each light can be either on or off. The goal is to independently control these LEDs without 

unintentionally affecting the others. Maybe you want to turn on (or SET) specific LEDs. Maybe you want 

to turn off (or CLEAR) some or all of them. Maybe, and maybe, you want to flip (or TOGGLE) specific ones. 

Or perhaps, you want to play a prank on your roommate by flipping all the switches, turning on what’s off 

and turning off what’s on (INVERT). 

LED 7 LED 6 LED 5 LED 4 LED 3 LED 2 LED 1 LED 0 

OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON ON 

Well, as it turns out, this is what your microcontroller looks like. For instance, PORT1 of your 

microcontroller has 8 pins (labeled from 0 to 7). Let’s do ourselves a favor and consider them a binary 

sequence. Each pin can have a value of 0 or 1 (i.e., binary). In these cases, it is important to know the 

current state of the system as well as the change you want to impose on the system. You can then 

calculate the final state of the system using the bitwise assignment operators. These are basically the 

same bitwise operators from Exercise 3.1, however they are now followed by the assignment “=” sign. So, 

what’s the difference? 

The bitwise AND assignment (&=) first calculates the bitwise AND operation between operands and then 

assigns the value to the left operand. It can be used to clear bits. 

The bitwise OR assignment (|=) first calculates the bitwise OR operation between operands and then 

assigns the value to the left operand. It can be used to set bits. 

The bitwise XOR assignment (^=) first calculates the bitwise XOR operation between operands and then 

assigns the value to the left operand. It can be used to toggle bits. 

Lastly, the operation ~ can be used to invert bits: turning all ones to zeros and vice versa. 

Let’s work through an example. Imagine the initial state of the system of LEDs in the table above is 0010 

1011 (equivalent to 43 in decimal), where each bit represents the state of a specific pin, with 0 and 1 

indicating states such as ON/OFF. Now, let’s say you want to turn off all LEDs except the 6th bit (or LED #5) 

i.e., 0010 0000 (or 32 in decimal). You can CLEAR using the bitwise AND assignment operation (&=). Use 

the following code for a practical demonstration. 

Task #3.2: After making this observation, complete the code below to calculate the bitwise OR assignment 

and the bitwise XOR assignments for a different set of input states (initial state and change). Show that 

your results from your on-paper calculations and those derived from your code match. More importantly, 

explain how these different operations can be used to set/clear/toggle/invert bits. 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

10 

#include <stdio.h> 

int main(void) 

 int initialstate, change, tempstate; 

 printf("What is the initial state (in decimal)? "); 

 scanf("%d", &initialstate); 

 tempstate = initialstate; 

 printf("What is the change (in decimal)? "); 

 scanf("%d", &change); 

 initialstate &= change; 

 printf("The &= of %d, and %d is %d\n", tempstate, change, initialstate); 

 return 0; 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

4 Code Submission 

Codes for all tasks must be submitted before the deadline (Jan 12th, 2025 by 7:30 PM EST) on Avenue to 

Learn. 

 EP3BB3 Lab #1-2024/25-V1.3 

5 What’s Next? 

5.1 Assessment and Reflection on the Lab 

Spend a few minutes and reflect on what you learned today. Your TAs will assess your lab based on your 

understanding and explanation of what you have done, observed, and learned during this lab (and the 

pre-lab when applicable). Explain the technical details to your TAs and share your takeaways of the lab. 

Half of your mark for the lab is dedicated to your code and its functionality and the other half to your 

understanding and explanations. 

Even though you are working in groups of 2, you are expected to write your own codes and do each tasks 

individually. However, you are encouraged to discuss your approach with your lab partner. 

5.2 Tidying Up 

Firstly, great work finishing your lab! You can leave the lab after cleaning your workstation: 

• Remove the jumper wires from your breadboard and dump them in the wire containers on your 

workstation. 

• Remove the components from your breadboard and place them in the component containers at 

your workstation. Make sure to put the components back in the right drawers. 

• Disconnect the probes from your power supply, function generator, multimeter, and oscilloscope, 

and hang them from the wire rack on the wall. 

• Remove any pieces of paper, garbage, etc., from and clean your workstation before leaving the 

lab. 

Note: You are always expected to clean your workstation before leaving the lab. 

5.3 Next Lab’s Preparation 

The lab manual for the next lab on “Introduction to Microcontrollers” is available on Avenue to Learn. 

Please review the lab manual before attending the lab. In particular: 

• Follow the instructions published on Avenue to Learn to purchase the microcontroller and bring 

your microcontroller to the lab. 

• Before coming to the lab, you must review the prelab and follow the instructions to install 

CCSTUDIO — Code Composer Studio™ integrated development environment (IDE). This should be 

done before coming to the lab. 

• After installing the IDE, follow the prelab’s blink test to make sure everything is set properly. 

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