programming

Question 1

what is an algorithm?

Answer 1

a set of instructions that describes how to solve a problem

Question 2

what does language independent mean?

Answer 2

describes an algorithm that can be translated into any programming language

Question 3

what is psuedo-code?

Answer 3

a simple way of describing a set of instructions in a manner that resembles a programming

Question 4

what is an input?

Answer 4

data which is inserted into a system for processing and/or storage

Question 5

what is a process?

Answer 5

an action taken by the program without input from the user

Question 6

what is an output?

Answer 6

data which is sent out of a system

Question 7

what is assignment?

Answer 7

setting the value of a variable in a computer program

Question 8

why are flowcharts used?

Answer 8

a diagram that shows an overview of an algorithm and help construct a step by step solution

Question 9

what do the different symbols in a flowchart mean?

Answer 9

rectangle = process
parallelogram = input/output
diamond = decision
oval = start/stop

Question 10

what is decomposition?

Answer 10

breaking down a problem into smaller, more manageable chunks so they can be solved on their own

Question 11

what is abstraction?

Answer 11

the process of removing unnecessary detail from a problem so that the important details can be focused on = makes problem solving easier

Question 12

what is a variable?

Answer 12

a memory location within a computer program where values are stored

Question 13

what are trace tables?

Answer 13

tables that keep track of changing variables
used when testing a program to record changes in variable values as code executes

Question 14

what is data?

Answer 14

units of information
integers, characters, Boolean

Question 15

define effciency

Answer 15

how much time it takes to run a particular algorithm and how much space is needed

Question 16

what is an array?

Answer 16

a set of data values of the same type, stored in a sequence in a computer program
aka list

Question 17

what is a search?

Answer 17

an algorithm that searches through a data set to find an item

Question 18

what is a sort?

Answer 18

an algorithm that puts items in a data set into order

Question 19

how does a linear search work?

Answer 19

1. identify a search item
2. look at the first item in the list
3. compare the item with the search item
4. check if they are the same, if so item is found, if not move to next item
5. repeat these steps until last item in the list has been reached

Question 20

how does a binary search work?

Answer 20

1. start by setting the counter to the middle position in the list
2. if the value held there is a match, the search ends
3. if the value at the midpoint is less than the value to be found, list is halved, and upper half of list is searched and vice versa
4. search moves to the midpoint of the remaining items and the steps continue until item is found

Question 21

linear vs binary search

Answer 21

• for binary the data must be ordered, for linear not
• if list is longer and in order binary is more efficient (takes less time)