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BPOPS103VTU · Sem 1

Principles of Programming Using C

VTU 2022 scheme (OBE and CBCS); BPOPS103 in Sem 1 (Physics group), BPOPS203 in Sem 2 (Chemistry group), CSE stream · Integrated course, 3 credits (L-T-P 2-0-2), 50 CIE + 50 SEE. CIE: theory 30 (tests and assignments scaled) + lab 20 (record 15 + lab test 5); minimum 40% in each. SEE: 3-hour theory paper for 100 marks scaled to 50; 10 questions of 20 marks, 2 per module, answer 5 choosing one per module; up to 25 marks of lab-based questions included. Pass: at least 18/50 in SEE and 40/100 overall.

Official syllabus

Revised 0 of 109 high-repeat questions

One-Night Pass Pack

Sections in order: documentation (comments), link (#include), definition (#define), global declarations, main() with declaration and executable parts, user-defined functions. Example: a program with #include <stdio.h>, #define PI 3.14, main() that reads r and prints area.
Full-marks tip: Draw the sections as a stacked box diagram, then label each part on a short program. Asked in Jan/Feb 2023, June/July 2024 and Dec 2024/Jan 2025.

Exam kal hai? Send this Pass Pack to your batch group.

Unit-wise syllabus

U1Introduction to Computers and C

Weightage: Equal share: 1 of 5 modules (~20%)

Introduction to computers, input and output devicesDesigning efficient programsStructure of a C program, files used in a C programCompilers, compiling and executing programsVariables, constants, input/output statements

U2Operators and Control Statements

Weightage: Equal share: 1 of 5 modules (~20%)

Operators in CType conversion and typecastingConditional branching statementsIterative statements and nested loopsbreak, continue and goto

U3Functions and Arrays

Weightage: Equal share: 1 of 5 modules (~20%)

Function definition, declaration, call and returnPassing parameters, scope of variables, storage classesRecursive functions1D arrays: declaration, operations, passing to functions2D and multidimensional arrays, applications

U4Strings and Pointers

Weightage: Equal share: 1 of 5 modules (~20%)

String taxonomy and operationsString and character functions, arrays of stringsDeclaring pointer variables, types of pointersPassing arguments to functions using pointers

U5Structures, Unions, Enums and Files

Weightage: Equal share: 1 of 5 modules (~20%)

Structures and functionsUnions and unions inside structuresEnumerated data typeUsing files in C, reading and writing data filesDetecting end of file

Curated video lectures

Free lectures from well-known educators, matched to units. Videos load only when you tap “Watch here”, to save data.

Introduction to C (Module 1)

Neso Academy · Playlist · 20 videos · English · Unit 1

C programming full course (all modules)

Jenny's Lectures CS IT · Playlist · 150 videos · English

Functions in C (Module 3)

Neso Academy · Playlist · 14 videos · English · Unit 3

Arrays and pointers in C (Modules 3 and 4)

Neso Academy · Playlist · 42 videos · English · Unit 4

Strings in C (Module 4)

Neso Academy · Playlist · 21 videos · English · Unit 4

C Programming and Data Structures, includes structures and files (Module 5)

Neso Academy · Playlist · 314 videos · English · Unit 5

C language in Hindi (all modules)

CodeWithHarry · Playlist · 76 videos · Hindi

Exam Guide Radar

Standard textbook

Reema Thareja, Computer Fundamentals and Programming in C, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, 2017 (references: E. Balagurusamy, Programming in ANSI C; Kernighan and Ritchie, The C Programming Language)

Exam guide students buy

VTU 2022-scheme guides such as Sunstar Exam Scanner for Principles of Programming Using C (check the edition says BPOPS103/203)

Pick the 2022-scheme edition: question banks are arranged module-wise with solved VTU papers.

Local market tip

Pick the 2022-scheme BPOPS103/203 edition; older 21PSP/22POP guides follow a different module split, and the 2025-scheme books use the new 1BEIT105 code.

Lab Viva Survival

Simple calculator using switch and roots of a quadratic equation (decisions and loops)

Q. Why is break used in a switch statement?: → It stops execution from falling through to the next case once a matching case has run.
Q. What is the discriminant and why is it checked?: → d = b*b - 4ac. Its sign tells whether roots are real and distinct, equal, or complex.
Q. Which header and gcc option are needed for sqrt()?: → Include math.h and link with -lm, for example gcc prog.c -lm.

Binary search, bubble sort and matrix multiplication (arrays)

Q. What is the precondition for binary search?: → The array must be sorted. Each step halves the search range, so it takes O(log n) time.
Q. How many passes does bubble sort need for n elements?: → At most n-1 passes. Worst-case time is O(n^2); with a swap flag the best case is O(n).
Q. When can two matrices be multiplied?: → When columns of the first equal rows of the second; an m x n times n x q gives m x q.

String functions and sum, mean, standard deviation using pointers

Q. How does C know where a string ends?: → Every string ends with the null character '\0', which strlen and printf look for.
Q. What is the difference between *p and &x?: → &x gives the address of x; *p gives the value stored at the address held in p.

Student records using structures and copying a text file

Q. How do you access a structure member through a pointer?: → Use the arrow operator, ptr->marks, which is the same as (*ptr).marks.
Q. What does fopen return if the file cannot be opened?: → It returns NULL, so always check the pointer before reading or writing, and fclose it at the end.