Understanding Algorithms

Find the least number in the set {3, 5, 6, 1, 2, 7}

• 3

• 1

• 2

• 6

• 5

provides an intermediate step between an English language description

of an algorithm to its translation to a specific computer language.

• Flowchart

• Pseudocode

• Algorithms

• Control structures

this is used To illustrate algorithms to aid in the visualization of a program

• Loop Controls

• algorithm

• Pseudocode

• Flowchart

An algorithm has input values from a specified set.

• Definiteness

• Input

• Finiteness

• Effectiveness

From each set of input values, an algorithm produces output values from a specified set. The output values are the solution to the problem

• Output

• Definiteness

• Correctness

• Generality

The steps of an algorithm must be defined precisely.

• Finiteness

• Input

• Output

• Definiteness

An algorithm should produce the correct output values for each set of input values

• Correctness

• Input

• Definiteness

• Generality

An algorithm should produce the desired output after a finite (but perhaps large) number of steps for any input in the set.

• Input

• Generality

• Finiteness

• Definiteness

it must be possible to perform each step of an algorithm exactly and in a finite amount of time

• Effectiveness

• Generality

• Finiteness

• Correctness

The procedure should be applicable for all problems of the desired form, not just for a particular set of input values.

• Generality

• Effectiveness

• Finiteness

• Correctness