Computer Science

Computer Science — Grade 10

American Curriculum · Ages 15-16

Tenth grade computer science typically means AP Computer Science A or an equivalent object-oriented programming course, taught in Java. Students learn classes and objects, methods and parameters, inheritance and polymorphism, and write programs of real length.

The course covers arrays and ArrayLists, 2D arrays, recursion, searching and sorting algorithms, and the standard Java library. The AP exam pairs multiple choice with four free-response questions requiring hand-written code, so writing correct syntax on paper is a skill in itself.

Key topics covered

• Object-Oriented Programming — Classes, objects, constructors, methods and encapsulation.
• Inheritance & Polymorphism — Class hierarchies, overriding, and programming to an interface.
• Arrays & ArrayLists — One- and two-dimensional arrays, traversal and common operations.
• Recursion — Recursive methods, base cases and tracing recursive calls.
• Searching & Sorting — Linear and binary search, selection, insertion and merge sort.
• Free-Response Technique — Writing correct, complete Java by hand under exam conditions.