Chapter 7: Algorithm design and problem solving Flashcards
Definition of analysis
part of the program development life cycle; a process of investigation, leading to the specification of what a program is required to do
Definition of design
part of the program development life cycle; uses the program specification from the analysis stage to show how the program should be developed
Definition of coding
part of the program development life cycle; the writing of the program or suite of programs
Definition of testing
part of the program development life cycle; systematic checks done on a program to make sure that it works under all condition
Definition of abstraction
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
Definition of decomposition
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
Definition of top-down design
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
Definition of inputs
the data used by the system that needs to be entered while the system is active
Definition of processes
the tasks that need to be performed by a program using the input data and any other previously stored data
Definition of outputs
information that needs to be displayed or printed for the users of the system
Definition of storage
data that needs to be stored in files on an appropriate media for use in the future
Definition of structure diagram
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
Definition of flowchart
a diagram that shows the steps required for a task (sub-system) and the order in which the steps are to be performed
Definition of algorithm
an ordered set of steps to solve a problem
Definition of pseudocode
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
Definition of linear search
an algorithm that inspects each item in a list in turn to see if the item matches the value searched for
Definition of bubble sort
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
Definition of validation
automated checks carried out by a program that data is reasonable before it is accepted into a computer system
Definition of verification
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
Definition of set of test data
all of the items of data required to work through a solution
Definition of normal data
data that is accepted by a program
Definition of abnormal data
data that is rejected by a program
Definition of extreme data
the largest/smallest data value that is accepted by a program
Definition of boundary data
the largest / smallest data value that is accepted by a program and the corresponding smallest/largest rejected data value
Definition of range check
a check that the value of a number is between an upper value and a lower value
Definition of a length check
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
Definition of type check
a check that the data entered is of a specific type
Definition of presence check
a check that a data item has been entered
Definition of format check
a check that the characters entered conform to a pre-defined pattern
Definition of check digit
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
