Big Idea 3: Algorithms and Programming

Algorithm

is a set of steps to do a task.

Computer science algorithms

are the set of steps to solve a problem or complete a task.

Algorithms

are implemented with software.

Section of code

may work independently or can be used with other programming modules.

Variables

are placeholders for values a program needs to use.

Strings

are text fields that are just a series of characters and are denoted with quotation marks around the string field.

Expressions

are calculations to be evaluated to an answer or single value.

Boolean values

are one of the foundations of computer code.

Iterative statements

are also referred to as repetitive statements or loops.

Combining Algorithms

One of the key features of algorithms is that once they are created, you can use them over and over, combine them for more complex problem solving, or modify them for a new use.

Lists

are a collection of items, such as a grocery list or a playlist of music.

Index positions

are always integers and are enclosed within square brackets [index].

Length

The length of a list is the number of elements in the list.

Searching

deals with finding the needed element from everything in the dataset or determining that it is not there.

Linear Search

also called sequential searches, check each individual record, starting at the beginning and going to the end, one after the other in order to either find the desired data or to determine it is not in the dataset.

Binary Search

are far more efficient than linear searches.

Procedures

are also called functions in some programming languages.

Parameters

allow the calling program to send values to the procedure.

Procedural abstraction

You only need to know the name of the procedure, the number and type of parameters, and the output to expect.

Random number generator programs

are useful tools for writing software, mainly in designing games.

Procedures

have an optional feature called a return statement.

Built-in Procedures

Built-in procedures are prewritten and tested code that are included with the programming language.

DISPLAY()

is a built-in procedure used for this course on the exam.

INPUT()

It accepts data from the user, usually from the keyboard.

Simulations

Simulations are designed to represent and mirror the real world for testing.

Efficiency

can be determined by mathematically proving it and informally measured by actually running it on datasets of different sizes and measuring how long it took and the memory resources needed.

Heuristic approach

This is an approach that may not be optimal or the best but is close enough to use as a solution.