Chapter 7: Algorithm design and problem solving

Question 1

Definition of analysis

Answer 1

part of the program development life cycle; a process of investigation, leading to the specification of what a program is required to do

Question 2

Definition of design

Answer 2

part of the program development life cycle; uses the program specification from the analysis stage to show how the program should be developed

Question 3

Definition of coding

Answer 3

part of the program development life cycle; the writing of the program or suite of programs

Question 4

Definition of testing

Answer 4

part of the program development life cycle; systematic checks done on a program to make sure that it works under all condition

Question 5

Definition of abstraction

Answer 5

a method used in the analysis stage of the program development life cycle; the key elements required for the solution to the problem are kept and any unnecessary details and information that are not required are discarded

Question 6

Definition of decomposition

Answer 6

a method used in the analysis stage of the program development life cycle; the key elements required for the solution to the problem are kept and any unnecessary details and information that are not required are discarded

Question 7

Definition of top-down design

Answer 7

the breaking down of a computer system into a set of sub-systems, then breaking each sub-system down into a set of smaller sub-systems, until each sub-system just performs a single action

Question 8

Definition of inputs

Answer 8

the data used by the system that needs to be entered while the system is active

Question 9

Definition of processes

Answer 9

the tasks that need to be performed by a program using the input data and any other previously stored data

Question 10

Definition of outputs

Answer 10

information that needs to be displayed or printed for the users of the system

Question 11

Definition of storage

Answer 11

data that needs to be stored in files on an appropriate media for use in the future

Question 12

Definition of structure diagram

Answer 12

a diagram that shows the design of a computer system in a hierarchical way, with each level giving a more detailed breakdown of the system into sub-systems

Question 13

Definition of flowchart

Answer 13

a diagram that shows the steps required for a task (sub-system) and the order in which the steps are to be performed

Question 14

Definition of algorithm

Answer 14

an ordered set of steps to solve a problem

Question 15

Definition of pseudocode

Answer 15

a simple method of showing an algorithm; it describes what the algorithm does by using English key words that are very similar to those used in a high-level programming language but without the strict syntax rules

Question 16

Definition of linear search

Answer 16

an algorithm that inspects each item in a list in turn to see if the item matches the value searched for

Question 17

Definition of bubble sort

Answer 17

an algorithm that makes multiple passes through a list comparing each element with the next element and swapping them. This continues until there is a pass where no more swaps are made

Question 18

Definition of validation

Answer 18

automated checks carried out by a program that data is reasonable before it is accepted into a computer system

Question 19

Definition of verification

Answer 19

checking that data has been accurately copied from another source and input into a computer or transferred from one part of a computer system to another

Question 20

Definition of set of test data

Answer 20

all of the items of data required to work through a solution

Question 21

Definition of normal data

Answer 21

data that is accepted by a program

Question 22

Definition of abnormal data

Answer 22

data that is rejected by a program

Question 23

Definition of extreme data

Answer 23

the largest/smallest data value that is accepted by a program

Question 24

Definition of boundary data

Answer 24

the largest / smallest data value that is accepted by a program and the corresponding smallest/largest rejected data value

Question 25

Definition of range check

Answer 25

a check that the value of a number is between an upper value and a lower value

Question 26

Definition of a length check

Answer 26

a method used to check that the data entered is a specific number of characters long or that the number of characters is between an upper value and a lower value

Question 27

Definition of type check

Answer 27

a check that the data entered is of a specific type

Question 28

Definition of presence check

Answer 28

a check that a data item has been entered

Question 29

Definition of format check

Answer 29

a check that the characters entered conform to a pre-defined pattern

Question 30

Definition of check digit

Answer 30

An additional digit appended to a number to check if the entered number is error-free; check digit is a data entry check and not a data transmission check