CMPSC 40 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Search Algorithm, Pseudocode, The Algorithm
Document Summary
In many domains, there are key general problems that ask for output with specific properties when given valid input. The first step is to precisely state the problem, using the appropriate structures to specify the input and the desired output. We then solve the general problem by specifying the steps of a procedure that takes a valid input and produces the desired output. Definition: an algorithm is a finite set of precise instructions for performing a computation or for solving a problem. Their steps can be described in english or in pseudocode. Pseudocode is an intermediate step between and english language description of the steps and a coding of these steps using a programming language. Programmers can use the description of an algorithm in pseudocode to construct a program in a particular language. Pseudocode helps us analyze the time required to solve a problem using an algorithm, independent of the actual programming language used to implement the algorithm.
