No more magic than: int main(int argc, char **argv) There is always a level of hand waving that will go on in any introductory course, for a lot of reasons.

No more magic than: int main(int argc, char **argv) There is always a level of hand waving that will go on in any introductory course, for a lot of reasons. You have to keep in mind that the majority of students come from highly different backgrounds.