Unit 1 python (2021 r)

GE8151-PROBLEM SOLVING
AND PYTHON PROGRAMMING
G.Praveena,
Associate Professor,
Department of Computer Science & Engineering

UNIT I COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Fundamentals of Computing – Identification of Computational Problems -
Algorithms, building blocks of algorithms (statements, state, control flow,
functions), notation (pseudo code, flow chart,
programming language), algorithmic problem solving, simple strategies for
developing algorithms (iteration, recursion). Illustrative problems: find
minimum in a list, insert a card in a list of sorted cards, guess an integer
number in a range, Towers of Hanoi.
.
GE8151-PROBLEM SOLVING AND PYTHON
PROGRAMMING
I Semester

Fundamentals of Computing
• Introduction to computer
• Functionalities of a computer
• computer Components
• Data, Information and Knowledge
• Computer Viruses

What Is Computer
Science?
• It is fundamentally about computational
problem solving
• i.e., solving problems by the use of
computation.

What is computation?
• It is any type of calculation that includes both
arithmetical and non-arithmetical steps and
follows a well-defined model
– E.g.: Algorithm.
• Computational thinking can be split into four
parts,
Decomposition
Pattern recognition
Abstraction
Algorithmic design

Computational thinking
• It allows us,
To take a complex problem
Understand what the problem is
Develop possible solutions
Present these solutions in a way that a
computer, a human, or both, can
understand.
Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a
problem and expressing its solutions in such way that a computer-human or
machine –can effectively carry out.

Types of Computational Problems
Decision Problems
Search Problems
Counting Problems
Optimization Problems

Requirements to solve computational problems
• In order to solve a problem
computationally, two things are needed,
A representation that captures all the
relevant aspects of the problem
An algorithm that solves the problem by
use of the representation

PROBLEM SOLVING
Problem solving is the systematic approach to define the
problem and creating number of solutions.
PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES
• Problem solving technique is a set of techniques that
helps in providing logic for solving a problem.
Problem Solving Techniques:
Problem solving can be expressed in the form of
1. Algorithms.
2. Flowcharts.
3. Pseudo codes.
4. programs

ALGORITHM
It is a step by step procedure for solving a problem.
program=algorithm + data
Properties of Algorithms
• Should be written in simple English Each and every instruction
should be precise and unambiguous.
• Instructions in an algorithm should not be repeated infinitely.
• Algorithm should conclude after a finite number of steps.
• Should have an end point
• Derived results should be obtained only after the algorithm
terminates.

Qualities of a good algorithm
The following are the primary factors that are often used to judge the quality
of the algorithms.
• Time – To execute a program, the computer system takes some amount of
time.
• Memory – To execute a program, computer system takes some amount of
memory space.
• Accuracy – Multiple algorithms may provide suitable or correct solutions
to a given problem, some of these may provide more accurate results than
others, and such algorithms may be suitable.
Example
Write an algorithm to print „Good Morning”
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Print “Good Morning”
Step 3: Stop

BUILDING BLOCKS OF ALGORITHMS
(statements, state, control flow, functions)
Algorithms can be constructed from basic building blocks
namely, sequence, selection and iteration
Statements:
Statement is a single action in a computer.
In a computer statements might include some of the following
actions
 input data-information given to the program.
 process data-perform operation on a given input.
 output data-processed result.

State:
Transition from one process to another process under
specified condition with in a time is called state.
control flow:
The process of executing the individual statements in a given
order is called control flow.
The control can be executed in three ways
1. sequence
2. selection
3. iteration

Sequence:
All the instructions are executed one after another is called
sequence execution.
Example:
Add two numbers:
Step 1: Start
Step 2: get a,b
Step 3: calculate c=a+b
Step 4: Display c
Step 5: Stop

Selection:
A selection statement causes the program control to be transferred
to a specific part of the program based upon the condition.
If the conditional test is true, one part of the program will be
executed, otherwise it will execute the other part of the program.
Example
Write an algorithm to check whether he is eligible to vote?
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Get age
Step 3: if age >= 18 print “Eligible to vote”
Step 4: else print “Not eligible to vote”
Step 6: Stop

Iteration:
In some programs, certain set of statements are executed again
and again based upon conditional test. i.e. executed more than
one time. This type of execution is called looping or iteration.
Example
Write an algorithm to print all natural numbers up to n
Step 1: Start
Step 2: get n value.
Step 3: initialize i=1
Step 4: if (i<=n) go to step 5 else go to step 7
Step 5: Print i value and increment i value by 1
Step 6: go to step 4
Step 7: Stop

Functions:
Function is a sub program which consists of block of code(set of
instructions) that performs a particular task.
For complex problems, the problem is been divided into smaller
and simpler tasks during algorithm design.
Benefits of Using Functions
Reduction in line of code
code reuse
Better readability
Information hiding
Easy to debug and test Improved maintainability

Example:
Algorithm for addition of two numbers using function
Main function()
Step 1: Start
Step 2: Call the function add()
Step 3: Stop
sub function add()
Step 1: Function start
Step 2: Get a, b Values
Step 3: add c=a+b
Step 4: Print c
Step 5: Return

FLOW CHART
Flow chart is defined as graphical representation of the logic for problem
solving.
The purpose of flowchart is making the logic of the program clear in a
visual representation.

Rules for drawing a flowchart
1.The flowchart should be clear, neat and easy to follow.
2. The flowchart must have a logical start and finish.
3.Only one flow line should come out from a process symbol.
4.Only one flow line should enter a decision symbol. However,
two or three flow lines may leave the decision symbol.
5. Only one flow line is used with a terminal symbol.

6. Within standard symbols, write briefly and precisely.
7. Intersection of flow lines should be avoided.
Advantages of flowchart:
1. Communication: - Flowcharts are better way of communicating the logic of
a system to all concerned.
2. Effective analysis: - With the help of flowchart, problem can be analyzed in
more effective way.
3. Proper documentation: - Program flowcharts serve as a good
program documentation, which is needed for various purposes.
4. Efficient Coding: - The flowcharts act as a guide or blueprint during the
systems analysis and program development phase.
5. Proper Debugging: - The flowchart helps in debugging process.
6. Efficient Program Maintenance: - The maintenance of operating program
becomes easy with the help of flowchart. It helps the programmer to put
efforts more efficiently on that part.

Disadvantages of flow chart:
1. Complex logic: - Sometimes, the program logic is quite
complicated. In that case, flowchart becomes complex and
clumsy.
2. Alterations and Modifications: - If alterations are required the
flowchart may require re-drawing completely.
3. Reproduction: - As the flowchart symbols cannot be typed,
reproduction of flowchart becomes a problem.
4.Cost: For large application the time and cost of flowchart
drawing becomes costly.

PSEUDO CODE:
• Pseudo code consists of short, readable and formally styled English
languages used for explain an algorithm.
• It does not include details like variable declaration, subroutines.
• It is easier to understand for the programmer or non programmer
to understand the general working of the program, because it is not
based on any programming language.
• It gives us the sketch of the program before actual coding.
• It is not a machine readable
• Pseudo code can’t be compiled and executed.
• There is no standard syntax for pseudo code.

Guidelines for writing pseudo code:
• Write one statement per line
• Capitalize initial keyword
• Indent to hierarchy
• End multiline structure
• Keep statements language independent

Common keywords used in pseudocode
The following gives common keywords used in pseudocodes.
1. //: This keyword used to represent a comment.
2. BEGIN,END: Begin is the first statement and end is the last statement.
3. INPUT, GET, READ: The keyword is used to inputting data.
4. COMPUTE, CALCULATE: used for calculation of the result of the given
expression.
5. ADD, SUBTRACT, INITIALIZE used for addition, subtraction and
initialization.
6. OUTPUT, PRINT, DISPLAY: It is used to display the output of the program.
7. IF, ELSE, ENDIF: used to make decision.
8. WHILE, ENDWHILE: used for iterative statements.
9. FOR, ENDFOR: Another iterative incremented/decremented tested
automatically.

Syntax for if else:
IF
(condition)THEN
statement
...
ELSE
statement
... ENDIF
Example: Greates of two
numbers
BEGIN
READ a,b
IF (a>b) THEN
DISPLAY a is greater
ELSE
DISPLAY b is greater
END IF
END

Syntax for For:
FOR( start-value to
end-value)
DO
statement
...
ENDFOR
Example: Print n natural
numbers
BEGIN
GET n
INITIALIZE i=1
FOR (i<=n) DO
PRINT i
i=i+1
ENDFOR
END

Syntax for While:
WHILE (condition)
DO
statement
...
ENDWHILE
Example: Print n
natural numbers
BEGIN
GET n
INITIALIZE i=1
WHILE(i<=n) DO
PRINT i
i=i+1
ENDWHILE
END

Advantages:
• Pseudo is independent of any language; it can be used by most
programmers.
• It is easy to translate pseudo code into a programming language.
• It can be easily modified as compared to flowchart.
• Converting a pseudo code to programming language is very easy as
compared with converting a flowchart to programming language.
Disadvantages:
• It does not provide visual representation of the program’s logic.
• There are no accepted standards for writing pseudo codes.
• It cannot be compiled nor executed.
• For a beginner, It is more difficult to follow the logic or write pseudo code
as compared to flowchart.

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
A programming language is a set of symbols and rules for instructing a
computer to perform specific tasks.
The programmers have to follow all the specified rules before writing
program using programming language.
The user has to communicate with the computer using language which it can
understand.
Types of programming language
1. Machine language
2. Assembly language
3. High level language

Machine language:
The computer can understand only machine language which uses 0’s
and 1’s. In machine language the different instructions are formed by taking
different combinations of 0’s and 1’s.
Advantages:
Translation free:
Machine language is the only language which the computer
understands.
High speed
The machine language program is translation free. Since the conversion time
is saved, the execution of machine language program is extremely fast.
Disadvantage:
1.It is hard to find errors in a program written in the machine language.
2. Writhing program in machine language is a time consuming process.

Machine dependent:
According to architecture used, the computer differs
from each other. So machine language differs from computer
to computer. So a program developed for a particular type of
computer may not run on other type of computer.
Assembly language:
Assembly language is symbolic representation of machine
language. Assembly languages are symbolic programming
language that uses symbolic notation to represent machine
language instructions. They are called low level language
because they are so closely related to the machines.

• Assembler
Assembler is the program which translates
assembly language instruction in to a machine
language.
• ADVANTAGES
Easy to understand and use.
It is easy to locate and correct errors.
Disadvantage
• Machine dependent
• Hard to learn
• Less efficient

High level language
High level language contains English words and symbols. The
specified rules are to be followed while writing program in high
level language.
Translating high level language to machine language
The programs that translate high level language in to machine
language are called interpreter or compiler.
Compiler:
A compiler is a program which translates the source code written
in a high level language in to object code which is in machine
language program.
Interpreter
The interpreter translates a high level language statement in a
source program to a machine code and executes it immediately
before translating the next statement.
.

Advantages
Readability
High level language is closer to natural language so they are easier to learn
and understand
Machine independent
High level language program have the advantage of being portable between
machines.
Easy debugging
Easy to find and correct error in high level language
Disadvantages
Less efficient
The translation process increases the execution time of the program.
Programs in high level language require more memory and take more
execution time to execute.

• Categories of programming languages
1. Interpreted programming languages
2. Functional programming languages
3. Compiled programming languages
4. Procedural programming languages
5. Scripting programming language
6. Markup programming language
7. Concurrent programming language
8. Object oriented programming language
Interpreted programming languages:
An interpreted language is a programming language for which most
of its implementation executes instructions directly, without previously
compiling a program into machine language instructions.
Examples:
• Pascal
• Python

Functional programming language:
• Functional programming language defines every computation
as a mathematical evaluation.
Examples:
• Clean
• Haskell
Compiled Programming language:
• A compiled programming is a programming language whose
implementation are typically compilers and not interpreters.
Examples:
• C
• C++
• C#
• JAVA

Procedural programming language:
• Procedural (imperative) programming implies specifying the
steps that the programs should take to reach to an intended
state.
Examples:
• Hyper talk
• MATLAB
Scripting language:
• Scripting language are programming languages that control an
application. Scripts can execute independent of any other
application.
Examples:
• Apple script
• VB script

Markup languages:
A markup language is an artificial language that uses
annotations to text that define hoe the text is to be displayed.
Examples:
• HTML
• XML
Concurrent programming language:
• Concurrent programming is a computer programming
technique that provides for the execution of operation
concurrently, either with in a single computer or across a
number of systems.
Examples:
• Joule
• Limbo

Object oriented programming language:
• Object oriented programming is a programming paradigm
based on the concept of objects which may contain data in
the form of procedures often known as methods.
Examples:
• Lava
• Moto

• Algorithmic problem solving
Algorithmic problem solving is solving problem that require the
formulation of an algorithm for the solution.

• Understanding the Problem
It is the process of finding the input of the problem that the
algorithm solves.
Ascertaining the Capabilities of the Computational Device
• If the instructions are executed one after another, it is called
sequential algorithm.
• If the instructions are executed concurrently, it is called
parallel algorithm.
Choosing between Exact and Approximate Problem Solving
• the next principal decision is to choose between solving the
problem exactly or solving it approximately.
• Based on this, the algorithms are classified as
exact algorithm and approximation algorithm

• Algorithm Design Techniques
An algorithm design technique (or “strategy” or “paradigm”) is
a general approach to solving problems algorithmically that is
applicable to a variety of problems from different areas of
computing.
these techniques is of utmost importance for the following
reasons.
• First, they provide guidance for designing algorithms for new
problems,
• Second, algorithms are the cornerstone of computer science
Methods of Specifying an Algorithm
Pseudocode is a mixture of a natural languagend its usage often
yields more succinct(neat) algorithm descriptions.
flowchart, a method of expressing an algorithm by a collection
of connected geometric shapes.

• Programming language can be fed into an electronic computer
directly.
Proving an Algorithm’s Correctness
• A common technique for proving correctness is to use
mathematical induction because an algorithm’s iterations provide a
natural sequence of steps needed for such proofs.
Analysing an Algorithm
1. Efficiency.
• Time efficiency, indicating how fast the algorithm runs,
• Space efficiency, indicating how much extra memory it uses.
2. simplicity.
• Simpler algorithms are easier to understand and easier to program.
• Simple algorithms usually contain fewer bugs.

Coding an Algorithm
Most algorithms are destined to be ultimately implemented as
computer programs. Programming an algorithm presents both a peril
and an opportunity.
SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING ALGORITHMS:
1. iterations
2. Recursions
1. Iterations:
A sequence of statements is executed until a specified condition is true
is called iterations.
1. for loop
2. While loop
Syntax for For:
FOR( start-value to end-value) DO
Statement
ENDFOR

Example: Print n natural numbers
BEGIN
GET n
INITIALIZE i=1
FOR (i<=n) DO
PRINT i
i=i+1
ENDFOR
END

Syntax for
While:
WHILE (condition) DO
Statement
...
ENDWHILE
Example: Print n
natural numbers
BEGIN
GET n
INITIALIZE i=1
WHILE(i<=n) DO
PRINT i
i=i+1
ENDWHILE
END

Recursions:
• A function that calls itself is known as recursion.
• Recursion is a process by which a function calls itself repeatedly
until some specified condition has been satisfied.
Algorithm for factorial of n numbers using recursion:
Main function:
• Step1: Start
• Step2: Get n
• Step3: call factorial(n)
• Step4: print fact
• Step5: Stop

Examples algorithms: pseudo code, flow chart,
programming language
Write an algorithm to
find area of a
rectangle
Step 1: Start
Step 2: get l,b values
Step 3: Calculate A=l*b
Step 4: Display A
Step 5: Stop
BEGIN
READ l,b
CALCULATE A=l*b
DISPLAY A
END

Write an algorithm for Calculating area and
circumference of circle
Step 1: Start
Step 2: get r value
Step 3: Calculate A=3.14*r*r
Step 4: Calculate C=2.3.14*r
Step 5: Display A,C
Step 6: Stop
BEGIN
READ r
CALCULATE A and C
A=3.14*r*r
C=2*3.14*r
DISPLAY A
END

Write an algorithm for Calculating simple
interest
Step 1: Start
Step 2: get P, n, r value
Step3:CalculateSI=(p*n*r)/100
Step 4: Display S
Step 5: Stop

BEGIN
READ P, n, r
CALCULATE S
SI=(p*n*r)/100
DISPLAY SI
END

Unit 1 python (2021 r)

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