TK 1914 : C++ Programming

Algorithms and Problem Solving

WHAT IS AN ALGORITHM?

• An algorithm is a set of ordered steps for solving a

problem.
• Examples:
• An algorithm for preparing breakfast.
• An algorithm for converting Gregorian dates
to Islamic dates.
• An algorithm for calculating moon phase.
• An algorithm for drawing a curve.

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ALGORITHM IN REAL LIFE

• Consider the following …

Problem: Baking a Cake
How to solve:
1. Start
2. Preheat the oven at 180oC
3. Prepare a baking pan
4. Beat butter with sugar
5. Mix them with flour, eggs and essence vanilla
6. Pour the dough into the baking pan
7. Put the pan into the oven
8. End

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‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ STRATEGY
IN ALGORITHM

Problem: Prepare a Breakfast

1. Start
2. Prepare a Breakfast
3. End

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‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ STRATEGY
IN ALGORITHM

1. Start
2. Prepare a Breakfast
2.1 Prepare a tuna sandwich
2.2 Prepare some chips
2.3 Make a cup of coffee
3. End

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‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ STRATEGY
IN ALGORITHM

1. Start
2. Prepare a Breakfast
2.1 Prepare a tuna sandwich
2.1.1 Take 2 slices of bread
2.1.2 Prepare tuna paste
2.2 Prepare some chips
2.3 Make a cup of coffee
3. End

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‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ STRATEGY
IN ALGORITHM

1. Start
2. Prepare a Breakfast
2.1 Prepare a tuna sandwich
2.1.1 Take 2 slices of bread
2.1.2 Prepare tuna paste
2.2 Prepare some chips
2.2.1 Cut potatoes into slices
2.2.2 Fry the potatoes
2.3 Make a cup of coffee
3. End
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‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ STRATEGY
IN ALGORITHM

1. Start
2. Prepare a Breakfast
2.1. Prepare a tuna sandwich
2.1.1 Take 2 slices of bread
2.1.2 Prepare tuna paste
2.2. Prepare some chips
2.2.1 Cut potatoes into slices
2.2.2 Fry the potatoes
2.3. Make a cup of coffee
2.3.1 Boil water
2.3.2 Add water with sugar and coffee
3. End
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CLASS ACTIVITY 5.1

• Write a simple algorithm for withdrawing

a sum of money at an ATM.

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WHY DO WE NEED TO BUILD
ALGORITHMS?
• If we wish to build a house, we need to design it first.
– Can you think of some possible consequences of not
designing a house before building it?
• Similarly, computer programs (especially large and
complex ones) need to be designed before they are
written.
– Can you think of some possible consequences of not
designing a program before building it?
• One of the things considered when designing a
computer program is the algorithm which it will be
based on.

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ALGORITHMS IN PROGRAM DESIGN

• A computer program is built to solve a certain

problem.
Examples:
1. A program to calculate the grade obtained given
a mark.
2. A program to convert a Gregorian date to an
Islamic date.
3. A program to produce a document.

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• Below are steps (in fact, an algorithm) for
building a program to solve a particular problem:
– Analyse the problem
– Design a computer solution to the problem by
developing an algorithm.
– Write a computer program based on the algorithm.
– Test the program.

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HOW TO SPECIFY AN ALGORITHM?

• An algorithm must be specific enough so that it

can be conveniently translated into a computer
program (using C++, for example).
• An algorithm can be specified:
– Textually
For example, using pseudo code (see later)
– Graphically
For example, using flowcharts or UML activity charts

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FLOWCHARTS

• A flowchart is a graphical representation of the

sequence of operations in a program.
• An algorithm can be represented graphically using
a flowchart.

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FLOWCHART NOTATIONS

Symbol Semantic
Start/End

Process

Input/Output

Test

Connector

Flow of activities

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FLOWCHART: EXAMPLE 1

Start Algorithm starts here

Input
Gregorian date Input data from user

Convert Gregorian
date to Islamic date Perform the date conversion

Display
Display the result
Islamic date

End Algorithm ends here

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PSEUDOCODE

• An outline of a program, written in a form that can

easily be converted into real programming
statements. It resembles the actual program that
will be implemented later. However, it cannot be
compiled nor executed.
• Pseudocode normally codes the following
actions:
– Initialisation of variables
– Assignment of values to the variables
– Arithmetic operations
– Relational operations

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EXAMPLE OF PSEUDOCODE

1. Start
2. Read quantity
3. Read price_per_kg
4. price  quantity * price_per_kg
5. Print price
6. End

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CLASS ACTIVITY 5.2

• Draw a flowchart which represents the algorithm

built in CA[5.1].

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FLOWCHART: EXAMPLE 2

Start
• length, width and
Input
area are referred to
length, width as variables.
• A variable is like a box
in which a value can
area ← length X width
be stored

Output
area

End
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FLOWCHART: EXAMPLE 3

• Selection Start

Input
height

false true
height > 1.6?

Output Output
“You are short!” “You are tall!”

End

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FLOWCHART: EXAMPLE 4
• Repetition (looping)
Start

Output
“Thank you!”

Input
stop

false
stop = 1?

true
End
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PROBLEM SOLVING

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PROBLEM SOLVING

• Programming is a process of problem solving

• Problem solving techniques
– Analyze the problem
– Outline the problem requirements
– Design steps (algorithm) to solve the problem
• Algorithm:
– Step-by-step problem-solving process
– Solution achieved in finite amount of time

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PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

• Step 1 - Analyze the problem

– Outline the problem and its requirements
– Design steps (algorithm) to solve the problem
• Step 2 - Implement the algorithm
– Implement the algorithm in code
– Verify that the algorithm works
• Step 3 - Maintenance
– Use and modify the program if the problem
domain changes

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EXAMPLE 1: RECTANGLE

• Problem:
Design an algorithm to find the perimeter and
area of a rectangle.

• Information:
The perimeter and area of the rectangle are given
by the following formulas:
perimeter = 2 * (length + width)
area = length * width

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EXAMPLE 1

• Requirements:
– Input: length and width of the rectangle
– Output: perimeter and area of the rectangle
– Process: perimeter = ???, area =???

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EXAMPLE 1

• Algorithm:
– Get length of the rectangle
– Get width of the rectangle
– Find the perimeter using the following
equation:
perimeter = 2 * (length + width)
– Find the area using the following equation:
area = length * width
– Display the result perimeter and area

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EXAMPLE 2: CALCULATE CAR
PARK CHARGE
A car park has the following charges:
The 1st hour costs RM2.00. The subsequent
hours cost RM1.00 per hour. Write an algorithm
to calculate the charges based on a vehicle’s
entry and exit time.

Input Process Output

• Entry_time
???? Charge
• Exit_time

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EXAMPLE 2: FLOWCHART

No Yes

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EXAMPLE 2: FLOWCHART

cin >> entry_time >> exit_time;

period = exit_time – entry_time;

No Yes

if (period > 1)
charge = 2 + ( period *1);
else
charge = 2;
cout <<charge;
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EXAMPLE 2: C++ PROGRAM

void main() {
int entry_time, exit_time, period, charge;
cin >>entry_time >>exit_time;
period = exit_time – entry_time;

if (period > 1)
charge = 2 + (period * 1);
else
charge = 2;

cout <<charge;
}

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EXAMPLE 3: PAYCHECK

• Problem:
Design an algorithm to calculate a paycheck of a
salesperson.
• Information:
– Every salesperson has a base salary.
– Salesperson receives $10 bonus at the end of
the month for each year worked if he or she
has been with the store for five or less years.
– The bonus is $20 for each year that he or she
has worked there if over 5 years.
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EXAMPLE 3

• Information (continue):
Additional bonuses are as follows:
– If total sales for the month are $5,000-$10,000,
he or she receives a 3% commission on the
sale
– If total sales for the month are at least $10,000,
he or she receives a 6% commission on the
sale

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EXAMPLE 3

• Requirements:
– Input: base salary, number of years work,
total sale
– Output: amount of paycheck (total salary)
– Process: ???

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EXAMPLE 3

• Algorithm:
– Get baseSalary
– Get noOfServiceYears
– Calculate bonus using the following formula:
if (noOfServiceYears <= 5)
bonus = 10 * noOfServiceYears
otherwise
bonus = 20 * noOfServiceYears
– Get totalSale

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EXAMPLE 3

– Calculate additionalBonus as follows:

if (totalSale < 5000)
additionalBonus = 0
otherwise
if (totalSale>=5000 and
totalSale<10000)
additionalBonus = totalSale x(0.03)
otherwise
additionalBonus = totalSale x (0.06)

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EXAMPLE 3

– Calculate payCheck using the equation

payCheck = baseSalary + bonus +
additionalBonus

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EXAMPLE 4: AVERAGE TEST SCORE

• Problem:
– 10 students in a class
– Each student has taken five tests and each test
is worth 100 points.
– Design an algorithm to calculate the grade for
each student as well as the class average.
• Design an algorithm to find the average test score.
• Design an algorithm to determine the grade.
– Data consists of students’ names and their test
scores.
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EXAMPLE 4

• Algorithm 1: to find test score

– Get the five test scores.
– Add the five test scores. Suppose sum
stands for the sum of the test scores.
– Suppose average stands for the average
test score. Then
average = sum / 5;

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EXAMPLE 4

• Algorithm 2: to determine the grade.

if average > 90
grade = A
otherwise
if average >= 80 and < 90
grade = B
otherwise
if average >= 70 and < 80
grade = C
otherwise
if average >= 60 and < 70
grade = D
otherwise
grade = F
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EXAMPLE 4

• Main algorithm:
– totalAverage = 0;
– Repeat the following steps for each student in the
class.
• Get student’s name.
• Use algorithm 1.
• Use the algorithm 2.
• Update totalAverage by adding current student’s
average test score.
– Determine the class average as follows:
classAverage = totalAverage / 10
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PROGRAM STYLE AND FORM

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USE OF WHITESPACE

• Insert white space characters (such as blanks, tabs and

newlines) if necessary to increase the readability of your
source code.
Example:
int matrix[][3] = {1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1};
int matrix[][3] = { 1, 0, 0,
0, 1, 0,
0, 0, 1
};
• White space characters are ignored by the compiler during
compilation.
• Remember to separate reserved words and identifiers from
each other and other symbols.
This statement
Example: inta, b, c; is syntactically
incorrect.
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COMMAS AND SEMICOLONS

• Commas separate items in a list.

Example: int a, b, c;

• All C++ statements end with a semicolon.

Example: area = length * width;

• Semicolon is also called a statement terminator.

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DOCUMENTATION

• Programs are easier to read and maintain if

they are well-documented.
• Comments can be used to document code
– Single line comments begin with // anywhere in
the line
– Multiple line comments are enclosed between /*
and */

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DOCUMENTATION

• Avoid putting in useless comments such as shown

below:
int main() {
…
min = elapsed_time / 60; // assign elapsed_time / 60 to min
sec = elapsed_time % 60; // assign elapsed_time % 60 to sec
hr = min / 60; // assign min / 60 to hr
min = min % 60; // assign min % 60 to min
…
}

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DOCUMENTATION

• The program comments below are more useful:

int main() {
…
// Convert elapsed_time to min:sec
min = elapsed_time / 60;
sec = elapsed_time % 60;
// Convert min:sec to hr:min:sec
hr = min / 60;
min = min % 60;
…
}

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DOCUMENTATION

• Name identifiers with meaningful names.

• For example, which of the statements below
is more meaningful?
a = l * w;
area = length * width;

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FORM AND STYLE

• Consider two ways of declaring variables:

– Method 1
int feet, inch;
double x, y;
– Method 2
int a,b;double x,y;
• Both are correct, however, the second is hard to
read

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SYNTAX AND LOGICAL
ERROR

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SYNTAX ERRORS

• Syntax errors are errors in the source code which

are related to the syntax of the language.
• Syntax errors are detected by the compiler. An
executable file will be generated by the compiler
only if the source code it compiles has no syntax
errors.
• Syntax errors are reported by the compiler in the
form of error messages.

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#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
cout << "This program has errors
return;
} Error messages
displayed by the
compiler

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LOGICAL ERRORS

• Logical errors are errors which are related to program

logic.
• Normally, logical errors are not detectable by the
compiler.
• Logical errors are usually detected during program
runtime. For example, a program producing
unexpected results is an indication that it has logical
errors.
• It is important to remember that if the compiler does
not produce any error messages, it does not mean
that your program is free of logical errors.
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LOGICAL ERRORS

• Possible to remove all syntax errors in a program

and still not have it run
• Even if it runs, it may still not do what you meant it
to do
• For example,
2 + 3 * 5 and (2 + 3) * 5
are both syntactically correct expressions, but
have different meanings

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 Write a program to calculate
the area of the region in
blue.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
float radius, length, width;
cout << "Enter radius, length and width: ";
cin >> radius >> length >> width;
cout << "Area of blue region: " << length * width -
3.14*radius*radius;
return 0;
} FTSM :: TK1914 20112012 56
 Suppose we test the program with these
inputs:
radius: 7 length: 2 width: 3
Area of circle = 3.14 * 7 * 7 = 153.86
Area of rectangle = 2 * 3 = 6

 This means that the rectangle is enclosed by

the circle. The area of the region should not
be negative.

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• The following output is generated when the
program is executed with those inputs.

• The program should be checked for logical errors.

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#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
float radius, length, width;
cout << "Enter radius, length and width: ";
cin >> radius >> length >> width;
cout << "Area of blue region: "
<< length*width - 3.14*radius*radius;
return 0;
}
The formula should be
3.14*radius*radius – length*width
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YOU SHOULD NOW KNOW…

• what an algorithm is.

• when an algorithm should be developed when
building a computer program.
• the basic steps in building a computer program
to solve a problem.
• what flowcharts are.
• how to represent algorithms graphically using
flowcharts.

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YOU SHOULD NOW KNOW…

• importance of program readability

– using whitespace characters
– inserting comments
– using meaningful names for identifiers
• syntax and logical errors

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