Section 1 - Fundamentals Of Algorithms

Question 1

What is an algorithm?

Answer 1

An algorithm is a series of steps that can be followed to complete a task.

Question 2

What is decomposition?

Answer 2

Decomposition involved breaking down a problem into smaller, simpler steps.

Question 3

What is abstraction?

Answer 3

Abstraction involves removing unnecessary details from a problem in order to solve it.

Question 4

What are flowcharts?

Answer 4

Flowcharts are diagrams which use certain symbols to show the flow of data

Question 5

What does the oval represent in a flowchart?

Answer 5

The START and END

Question 6

What does the quadrilateral represent in a flowchart?

Answer 6

It is a process box. (E.g 1 + 1)

Question 7

What does the parallelogram represent in a flowchart?

Answer 7

This is an input and output box

Question 8

What does the diamond represent in a flowchart?

Answer 8

This is a decision box that can only accept yes or no answers

Question 9

What is pseudocode?

Answer 9

Pseudocode is used to write an algorithm in programming-style constructs but it is not in an actual programming language

Question 10

What are the 3 constructs used to write algorithms?

Answer 10

Sequence, selection and iteration

Question 11

What is selection?

Answer 11

If, elif and else

Question 12

What is sequence?

Answer 12

Sequence is just the order code goes in.

Question 13

What is iteration?

Answer 13

For, while and repeat

Question 14

What are the 2 common search routines?

Answer 14

Linear and binary searches

Question 15

What is a linear search?

Answer 15

When data is unsorted, the only sensible option when searching for a particular item is to start at the beginning and look at every item until you find the one you want

Question 16

What is a binary search?

Answer 16

If the list is sorted, it repeatedly divides in half the data, that could contain the required data item

Question 17

What are the 2 kinds of sorting algorithm?

Answer 17

Bubble and merge sort

Question 18

What is bubble sort?

Answer 18

A bubble sort works by repeatedly going through the list to be sorted comparing each pair of adjacent elements. If the elements are in the wrong order they are swapped.

Question 19

What is merge sort?

Answer 19

This is a 2 stage sort, in the first stage, the list is successively dividing in half, forming sublists, until each sublist is of length one. Then all the numbers recombine with the numbers swapping with whichever one is higher.