CS101 - PROBLEM SOLVING &

PROGRAMMING

Lecture 3 (online)
Introduction to Computers & Programming
Week 04 May – 08 May 2020
Zoubeir Aungnoo
Lecture Aims

■ Methodology
■ Algorithm
– Pseudocode
– Flowchart
Introduction to Problem Solving

■Problem solving is the process of transforming

the description of a problem into a solution by
using our knowledge of the problem domain
and by relying on our ability to select and use
appropriate problem-solving strategies,
techniques and tools.
■Computers can be used to help us solving
problems

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Software Development Method (SDM)

1. Specification of needs
2. Problem analysis
3. Design and algorithmic representation
4. Implementation
5. Testing and verification
6. Documentation

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Specification of Needs

■ To understand exactly:
– what the problem is
– what is needed to solve it
– what the solution should provide
– if there are constraints and special
conditions.

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Problem Analysis

■ In the analysis phase, we should identify the following:

– Inputs to the problem, their form and the input media to be
used
– Outputs expected from the problem, their form and the
output media to be used
– Special constraints or conditions (if any)
– Formulas or equations to be used

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Design and Algorithmic Representation

■ An algorithm is a sequence of a finite number of steps arranged

in a specific logical order which, when executed, produces the
solution for a problem.

■ An algorithm must satisfy these requirements:

– It may have an input(s)
– It must have an output
– It should not be ambiguous (there should not be different
interpretations to it)
■ Every step in algorithm must be clear as what it is supposed
to do

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Design and Algorithmic Representation cont..

– It must be general (it can be used for different inputs)

– It must be correct and it must solve the problem for which
it is designed
– It must execute and terminate in a finite amount of time
– It must be efficient enough so that it can solve the intended
problem using the resource currently available on the
computer

■ An algorithm can be represented using pseudocodes or

flowcharts.

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Control Structure

■ In order to tackle a problem, we need

– a correct algorithm
– to apply the algorithm at the 'good' moment
– to decide which algorithm to apply (sometimes there
are more than one, depending on conditions)
– to know if a certain operation must be repeated
In short: we need a suitable Control Structure
■ In 1966, two researchers, C. Bohn and G. Jacopini,
demonstrated that any algorithm can be described using
only 3 control structures: sequence, selection and
repetition.

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Pseudocodes

■ A pseudocode is a semiformal, English-like language with

limited vocabulary that can be used to design and describe
algorithms.

■ Criteria of a good pseudocode:

– Easy to understand, precise and clear
– Gives the correct solution in all cases
– Eventually ends

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Pseudocodes: The Sequence control structure

■ A series of steps or statements that are executed in the order they are written in
an algorithm.
■ The beginning and end of a block of statements can be optionally marked with
the keywords begin and end.
■ Example 1: Calculate Age of A Person

Begin
Read the birth date from the user.
Calculate the difference between the birth date
and today’s date.
Print the user age.
End

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Pseudocodes: The Selection control structure

■ Defines two courses of action depending on the outcome of a condition. A

condition is an expression that is, when computed, evaluated to either true or
false.
■ The keyword used are if and else.

■ Format: Example 2: Find out if a person

is retired
if condition
then-part if age is greater than 65
else
print “Retired”
else-part
else
end_if
print “Working”
end_if

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Pseudocodes: The Selection control structure
■ Sometimes in certain situation, we may omit the else-part.
Example 3: Determine if a number is odd
if number is odd number
print “This is an odd number”
end_if
■ Nested selection structure: basic selection structure that contains other
if/else structure in its then-part or else-part.
Example 4: display the word equivalent of a number

if number is equal to 1
print “One”
else if number is equal to 2
print “Two”
else if number is equal to 3
print “Three”
else
print “Other”
end_if
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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure

■ Specifies a block of one or more statements that are repeatedly executed

until a condition is satisfied.
■ The keyword used is while.
■ Format:

while condition
loop-body
end_while

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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure

■Example 5: Summing up 1 to 10

set cumulative sum to 0

set current number to 1
while current number is less or equal to 10
add the cumulative sum to current number
add 1 to current number
end_while
print the value of cumulative sum

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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure
■ Subsequently, we can write the previous pseudocodes (example
5) with something like this.

■ Example 6: Summing up 10 numbers

cumulative sum = 0
current number = 1
while current number is less or equal to 10
cumulative sum = cumulative sum + current number
current number = current number + 1
end_while
print the value of cumulative sum

■ Note that in this algorithm, we are using both the sequence and
repetition control structure
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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure

■ Example 7: from a list of 10 people find out how many are “retired” and

“working person”

Begin
number of users giving his birth date = 0
while number of users giving his birth date < 10
begin
Read the birth date from the user.
Calculate the difference between the birth date
and today’s date.
Print the user age.
if the age is greater than 65
print “Retired”
else
print “Working Person”
end_if
number of user giving his birth date + 1
end
end_while
End
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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure

■ Example 8:

while user still wants to play

begin
Select either to play on network or play against computer
if play on network
create connection to remote machine
play game with connected computer
else
select mission
play game locally
end_if
Ask user whether he/she still wants to play
end
end_while

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Pseudocodes: The Repetition control structure
■ Example 9:

while user still wants to play

begin
Select either to play on network or play against computer
if play on network
create connection to remote machine
play game with connected computer
Else
select mission
play game locally
end_if
Ask user whether he/she still wants to play
end
end_while

■ For readability, always use proper indentation!!!

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Flowcharts

■ Flowcharts is a graph used to depict or show a step by step

solution using symbols which represent a task.

■ The symbols used consist of geometrical shapes that are

connected by flow lines.

■ It is an alternative to pseudocoding; whereas a pseudocode

description is verbal, a flowchart is graphical in nature.

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Flowchart Symbols
Terminal symbol - indicates the beginning and
end points of an algorithm.
Process symbol - shows an instruction other than
input, output or selection.
Input-output symbol - shows an input or an output
operation.

Disk storage I/O symbol - indicates input from

or output to disk storage.
Printer output symbol - shows hardcopy printer
output.

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Flowchart Symbols cont…
Selection symbol - shows a selection process
for two-way selection.

Off-page connector - provides continuation

of a logical path on another page.

On-page connector - provides continuation

of logical path at another point in the same
page.

Flow lines - indicate the logical sequence of

execution steps in the algorithm.

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Flowchart – sequence control structure

Statement 1

Statement 2

Statement 3

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Flowchart – selection control structure

No Yes
Condition

else- then-
statement(s) statement(s)

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Flowchart – repetition control structure

yes Loop
Condition
Statement(s)

no

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Flowchart – example 1 –
Calculate Age of A Person
Begin

Read birth date

Calculate
Age = current year – birth date

Display
age

End

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Flowchart – example 2 - Find out
if a person is retired
Begin

Read age

YES Age > 65? NO

print “Retired” print “Working Person”

End

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Flowchart – example 5 –
Summing Up 10 Numbers

Begin

sum = 0
current_number = 1

NO
current_number <= 10? print sum

YES
End
sum = sum + current_number
current_number = current_number + 1

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Exercise – Pseudocodes &
Flowcharts
■ Exercise 1: Write pseudo code & design flowchart that reads
two numbers and multiplies them together and print out their
product.
■ Exercise 2: Write pseudo code & design flowchart that tells a
user that the number they entered is not a 5 or not a 6.
■ Exercise 3: Write pseudo code & design flowchart that
performs the following: Ask a user to enter a number. If the
number is between 0 and 10, write the word blue. If the number
is between 10 and 20, write the word red. if the number is
between 20 and 30, write the word green. If it is any other
number, write that it is not a correct color option.

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Exercise – Pseudocodes &
Flowcharts
■ Exercise 4: Write pseudo code & design flowchart to print all
multiples of 5 between 1 and 100 (including both 1 and 100).
■ Exercise 5: Write pseudo code & design flowchart that will
count all the even numbers up to a user defined stopping point.
■ Exercise 6: Write pseudo code & design flowchart that will
perform the following.
– a) Read in 5 separate numbers.
– b) Calculate the average of the five numbers.
– c) Find the smallest (minimum) and largest (maximum) of
the five entered numbers.
– d) Write out the results found from steps b and c with a
message describing what they are

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Flowchart - exercises
■ Now draw the equivalent flowchart for each of the examples
given in pseudocode earlier, i.e.
Example 3 - slide 13
Example 4 – slide 13
Example 7 – slide 17
Example 8 – slide 18

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Implementation

■The process of implementing an algorithm by writing a

computer program using a programming language (for
example, using C language)
■The output of the program must be the solution of the
intended problem
■The program must not do anything that it is not
supposed to do
– (Think of those many viruses, buffer overflows, trojan
horses, etc. that we experience almost daily. All these
result from programs doing more than they were intended
to do)

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Testing and Verification

■ Program testing is the process of executing a program to

demonstrate its correctness

■ Program verification is the process of ensuring that a program

meets user-requirement

■ After the program is compiled, we must run the program and

test/verify it with different inputs before the program can be
released to the public or other users (or to the instructor of this
class)

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Documentation

■Contains details produced at all stages of the program

development cycle.
■Can be done in 2 ways:
– Writing comments between your line of codes
– Creating a separate text file to explain the program
■Important not only for other people to use or modify
your program, but also for you to understand your own
program after a long time (believe me, you will forget
the details of your own program after some time ...)

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Documentation cont…

■Documentation is so important because:

– You may return to this program in future to use the whole
of or a part of it again
– Other programmer or end user will need some information
about your program for reference or maintenance
– You may someday have to modify the program, or may
discover some errors or weaknesses in your program
■Although documentation is listed as the last stage of
software development method, it is actually an ongoing
process which should be done from the very beginning
of the software development process.

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Volume calculation

■ Write a pseudocode and a flowchart for a C program that read

the value of the height, width and length of a box from the user
and print its volume.

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Calculating Electricity Bills

The unit for electricity usage is kWh. For domestic usage, the
monthly rate is 21.8 cents/unit for the first 200 unit, 25.8
cents/unit for the next 800 units and 27.8 cents/unit for each
additional units. Given the amount of electricity units (in kWh)
used by a customer, calculate the amount of money needs to be
paid by the customer to CEB. A bill statement needs to be
printed out. The currency is MUR.

Write a pseudocode and a flow chart to solve the above

problem.

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Sum of 1 to n

■ Write a pseudocode and a flowchart for a program that reads a

positive integer n and then computes and prints the sum of all
integers between 1 and n.

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Summary

■ This chapter introduced the concept of problem solving-a

process of transforming the description of a problem into a
solution.

■ A commonly used method – SDM which consists of 6 steps

■ 3 basic control structures : sequence, selection and repetition

structures

■ Pseudocode vs. Flow chart

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