Lecture 6 CS-SP-22

Introduction to Problem Solving

Instructor: Ms. Ayesha

11/05/23 1
 Programming Fundamentals

Introduction to Problem Solving

 Programming is a problem solving activity. When
you write a program, you are actually writing an
instruction for the computer to solve something
for you.
 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.

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Case Study: Yummy Cupcake

 Problem: You are required to calculate the
amount to be paid by a customer buying
cupcakes.

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Software Development Method (SDM)

 For programmer, we solve problems using
Software Development Method (SDM), which is
as follows:
1. Specify the problem requirements.
2. Analyze the problem.
3. Design the algorithm to solve the problem.
4. Implement the algorithm.
5. Test and verify the completed program.
6. Documentation

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1. Requirement Specification
 Specifying the problem requirements requires
you to state the problem clearly and to gain the
understanding of what to be solved and what
would be the solution.
 When specifying problem requirement, we ask
ourselves the following questions:
 What the problem is.
 What the solution should provide.
 What is needed to solve it.
 If there are constraints and special conditions.

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Yummy Cupcake
Problem: You are required to calculate the amount to
be paid by a customer buying cupcakes.
 What the problem is.

 What the solution should provide.

 What is needed to solve it.

 If there are constraints and special conditions.

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Problem Analysis
 Analyzing the problem require us to identify the
following:
 Input(s) to the problem, their form and the input
media to be used
 Output(s) expected from the problem, their form and
the output media to be used
 Special constraints or conditions (if any)
 Any formulas or equations to be used

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Yummy Cupcake
 Input?
 Quantity of the cupcake purchased (integer)
 Price per cupcake (RM, float)
 Output?
 Total amount to be paid by the customer (float)
 Constraint/condition?
 Quantity purchased must be more than zero
 Price per cupcake must be more than zero (it is not free)
 We assume that the price given is the standard price to all
cupcakes
 Formula/equation?
 Amount to pay = quantity of cupcake x price per cupcake

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Designing algorithm
 Designing algorithm to solve the problem requires
you to develop a list of steps, arranged in a
specific logical order which, when executed,
produces the solution for a problem.
 Using top-down design (also called divide and
conquer):
 You first list down the major tasks
 For each major task, you further divide it into sub-
tasks (refinement step)
 When you write algorithm, write it from the
computer’s point of view.

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Designing Algorithm cont..

 An algorithm must satisfy these requirements:
 It may have an input(s)
 It must have an output(s)
 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)
 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

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Yummy Cupcake
Major Task:
1. Read the quantity of cupcake purchased
2. Read the price per cupcake
3. Calculate total amount to pay
4. Display the total amount to pay

However, looking at the above algorithm, we can still further refine

step 3, by introducing the formula to calculate the amount to pay.

After refinement:
1. Read the quantity of cupcake purchased
2. Read the price per cupcake
3. Total amount to pay = quantity of cupcake x price per cupcake
4. Display the total amount to pay

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Remember, the order of the steps in

algorithm is very important. Consider
the following, will the result be the
same?

1. Display the total amount to pay

2. Get the quantity of cupcake purchased
3. Total amount to pay = quantity of cupcake x
price per cupcake
4. Get the price per cupcake

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Control Structure

 An algorithm can be represented using

Pseudocode or Flowchart.
 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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Control Structure
 Sequence: A series of steps or statements that are
executed in the order they are written in an
algorithm.
 Selection: 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.
 Repetition: Specifies a block of one or more
statements that are repeatedly executed until a
condition is satisfied.
 E.g
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You may have more than

one control structure in one
program in order to solve a
problem.

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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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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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The Sequence control structure

if statement
if-else statement
While
switch statement
conditional operator statement

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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.

begin begin

statement 1.
statement 1
statement 2.
… statement 2
…
statement n. …
end statement n

end

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The Sequence control structure

Problem: calculate a person’s age

Begin begin
read birth year
age = current year – birth year
display age read birth year
End
Age = current year –
birth year

Display age

end

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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:
No Yes
Condition?
if (condition)
then-part
else
else-part else- then-
end_if statement(s) statement(s)

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Example: If
 #include< iostream.h>
 int main( )
 {
 int x,y; x=15; y=13;
 if (x > y )
 {
 cout << "x is greater than y";
 getch();
 }

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Example: If-else
 void main( )
 {
 int x,y; x=15; y=18;
 if (x > y )
 {
 cout << "x is greater than y";
 }
 else { cout << "y is greater than x";
 }
 }

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The Selection control structure

Begin
read age
if (age is greater than 60)
print “Senior Citizen” Begin
else
print “Junior Citizen” Read age
end_if
End
YES NO
age > 60?

Begin
read age print “Senior Citizen” print “Junior Citizen”
if (age > 60)
print “Senior
Citizen”
else End

print “Junior
Citizen”
end_if
End
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Pseudocodes: The Selection control structure

 Sometimes in certain situation, we may omit the else-part.
if (number is odd number)
print “This is an odd number” Example 1
end_if

 Nested selection structure: basic selection structure that

contains other if/else structure in its then-part or else-part.
if (number is equal to 1)
print “One”
else if (number is equal to 2)
print “Two”
else if (number is equal to 3) Example 2
print “Three”
else
print “Other”
end_if

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Exercise
Draw the flowchart diagram for
Example 1 and Example 2

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