I.

Introduction to
Algorithm and
Programming

Algoritma dan Pemrograman Teknik Informatika UK Petra 2009

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Computer Programming
A form of problem solving
Or, more accurately, a way to solve
problems
What we will be studying is How to solve
problems using computers

Whats a Problem?
A question that someone wants an answer to
A problem usually has information that
represents a starting point, initial
assumptions, facts, or data that will be
needed in answering the question
For example, What is my grade point
average?

How Do We Solve the

Problem?
With pencil and paper we can compute
our grade point average if we know all of
our grades and the units for each of the
courses taken
What are the advantages of writing a
computer program to compute our grade
point average?

How Do We Solve Problems?

Four Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.

Understand the problem

Devise a plan to solve the problem
Implement the plan
Evaluate the solution
From George Polyas book, How to Solve It
written in 1945.
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What is an Algorithm?

A plan for solving a problem

A series

of steps to follow to arrive at a solution

A highly technical and precise recipe for
solving a problem
A good algorithm is correct, complete, and
unambiguous
Good algorithms are also general rather than
specific
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What Does an Algorithm Look Like?

It can be written in (precise) English/Indonesia
It can be drawn as a diagram (e.g., a
flowchart) with steps and a path to follow from
one step to the next
To make it precise (and computer executable)
algorithms are translated into a computer
understandable form (e.g., machine language)

A Simple Example

Problem: Calculate the average of a list of

numbers.
Let

the number of numbers in the list be n

Assume n is greater than or equal to 1
Calculate the sum of the n numbers
Call this sum s
Then the average is given by s/n

Example Expanded

Problem: Calculate the average of a list of numbers.

Let

the number of numbers in the list be n.

Assume n is greater than or equal to 1.
Pick off the first number on the list and place it on the
blackboard.
As long as there are more numbers on the list, pick the
next number off the list and add it to the number on the
blackboard and replace the number on the blackboard with
this sum. (Repeat this step until the list is empty.)
Call the number on the blackboard s.
Then the average is given by s/n.

Final Note about Algorithms

To qualify as an algorithm, the instructions

must be expressed so completely and
precisely that somebody could follow the
instructions without having to make any
assumptions or ask for more information
or help of any kind.

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Computer Basics
Hardware and Memory
Programs
Programming Languages
Compilers

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Hardware and Memory

The processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Executes

instructions

Memory
Main

memory (RAM)
Secondary (auxiliary) memory
Disk drives (hard drives)
Diskettes (floppies)
Compact disks (and DVDs)
USB Flash Drives

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Bits, Bytes, and Memory

Organization
A bit is a single binary digit (i.e., it can assume
the value 0 or 1)
A byte is a string of 8 bits (enough to hold the
representation of a character)
The number of a byte is called its address or
memory location
When more than one byte is needed to store
information the computer uses a string of
adjacent bytes

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Why Do Computers Use Just

Zeros and Ones?
Its easier to make a physical device that
has only two physical states (e.g., on
and off).
There is nothing special about zero and
one. The only important thing is that the
physical device have two stable states.

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Programs
A program is simply a set of instructions for a
computer to follow.
A computer executes the instructions in the
program to process the data or information
provided as input in order to produce the results or
output desired.
It is actually the operating system (just another
program) running on the computer that executes
your program.

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Programming Languages

High level languages (languages

designed for people to use)
Pascal,

FORTRAN, C, C++, Visual Basic,

Java

Low level languages (languages that

computers can understand)
Machine

languages, assembly languages

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Compilers
Compilers are programs that translate high
level languages into low level languages
Compilers are generally machine dependent
because different machines have different
machine languages
The input to the compiler is called the source
code and the output is called the object
code

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Testing and Debugging

A mistake in a program is called a bug.
The process of removing bugs from a program
is called debugging.
There are three main classes of bugs or errors
in programs:

Syntax

errors
Runtime errors
Logic errors
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Syntax Errors
A syntax error is a grammatical mistake in a
program.
There are strict grammatical rules for writing
programs including required punctuation
marks.
The compiler will catch syntax errors and give
its best guess as to the problem, but is often
wrong regarding the actual mistake made.

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Run-Time Errors
Errors caught when the program is run.
The computer will give an error message,
but such messages are often hard to
understand.
You can be sure that there is an error in
your program but it may take some time to
find.

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Logic Errors
If the program runs successfully to
completion but produces the wrong result,
you have a logic error.
What you have written is a valid program,
but it doesnt do what it is supposed to do.
These are the most difficult errors to find.

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