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Lecture One - introduction

Faculty of computing

Department of computer science

Dennis osadebay university, anwai

Asaba, delta state

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 Specific Objectives
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 Know the meaning of a problem and problem solving methods
 Identify problem solving techniques
Specific  Describe the programming language styles
objectives
 Implement real-world problems using python programming language

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 Problem solving Methodologies

 Know the concept of a problem and problem solving methods/techniques 3

 Identify problem solving strategies

Module 1  Demonstrate problem solving stages and processes – like algorithm, flowchart and pseudocode
 Differentiate between human versus computers in solving problems

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 Describe programming language styles – part A
 Introduction to python programming language 4

 Definition and introduction of variables, operators, expressions, statements, compiler, interpreter,

Module 2 keyword, header files etc.
 Control flow constructs like:
 Decisions: if statement, if else statement, nested if statement
 Loop: for loop statement, while loop statement, do-while loop statement, nested loop
statements.
 Unconditional jump statements

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 Describe programming language styles – Part B

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 Functions
 Introduction to array
Module 3  Introduction to string and string processing
 Introduction to searching and sorting concepts
 structures

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 Implement real-world problems using programming language
 Generate problems 6
 Analyse the problems

Module 4  Design the problems

 Implement the problems by writing simple python programs

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 What is a problem?
 A problem is defined as an objective or specific output that we want to attain through a sequence of
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steps and activities and with specific inputs.
 Example:
 Output or specific objective:
 Baking of cake according to a user specification
 inputs available: Activities or Specific
Input steps output
 Ingredients like eggs, flour, milk, sugar etc
 Steps or activities:
 The steps and activities are done sequentially. These steps and activities are the actions taken to
achieve the specific objective.
 Example: putting sugar

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 What is Problem solving?
 Problem solving is the process of identifying a problem, developing an algorithm for the identified 8
problem and finally, implementing the algorithm to develop a computer program.
 The problem solving stages identify the sequential process that will be taken in solving a problem.
 These include:
 Understanding the problem
 Analyzing the problem
 Developing the solution
 Coding and implementation
 Documentation of the procedures

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 Understanding a problem
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 Here we try to understand the problem to be solved by identifying the available input, expected or
required output and the operations (arithmetic and logical) to be executed.

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 Analyzing a problem
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 After understanding thoroughly the problem to be solve, we look at different ways or methods of
solving the problem and evaluate each of these steps.
 The idea here is to search for an appropriate solution to the problem under consideration.
 The end result of this stage is a broad overview of the sequence of operations that are to be taken to
be carried out to solve the given problem.
 By analyzing a problem, we should be able to figure out what are the inputs and the outputs that it
should produce.

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 Developing the solution of a problem

 Here the overview of the sequence of operations, that is result of the analysis stage, is expanded 11

to form a detailed step by step solution to the problem under consideration.

 The sequential steps is called Algorithm.
 An algorithm is defined as a group of logically arranged procedures or steps to be executed to
attain a goal or precise output – out of the specific inputs given.

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 Coding and implementation
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 The last stage of problem solving is the conversion of the detailed sequence of operations
(algorithm/flowchart) into a programming language that the computer can understand
 Here, each step of the algorithm/flowchart is translated or converted into its equivalent instruction or
instructions in the computer language that has been chosen for the implementation.
 This include:
 Program design (coding)
 Program implementation
 The design phase involves the translation of the steps into equivalent instructions in the programming
language like C++, C, C#, Java and Visual Basic.

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 Coding and implementation

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 Testing and debugging involves the testing of the code to see if it meets the requirement
specifications of the users.
 It ensures that the program generates the correct output for all possible inputs.
 In the presence of syntactical errors, no output will be obtained
 If the output is incorrect, then the program should be checked for logical error.

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 Program Documentation
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 Documentation is beneficial when more than one person participate in writing or modifying the
program.
 Program documentation is a document that describes the configuration files, instructions and other
files that explain the program.

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 Human versus computers in solving problem
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 People either converges or divergences in thinking to solving a problem or they do both.
 Convergent thinking involves evaluating ideas and narrowing or reducing one’s options through the
imposition of value judgement, exploiting the information available about the ideas and then
prioritizing and selecting.
 Divergent thinking operations involve searching for ideas and increasing one’s options through
elaboration of the problem and by exploring, connecting and/or combining potential ideas and
solution.

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 Exploration and exploitation
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 Exploration is about searching for few ideas both inside or outside the paradigm.
 Exploitation is about taking advantages of an idea within the paradigm and perfecting it
 Some business problems require mostly exploitation, while other require mostly exploration, but
all problems require some mixture of the two.
 Computer solves problem using ALGORITHM.

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