Approaches in problem solving:
(a) Top down design:
Larger programs are divided into smaller ones and solve each tasks by performing simpler activities. This concept is known as top down design in problem solving
(b) Bottom up design:
Here also larger programs are divided into smaller ones and the smaller ones are again subdivided until the lowest level of detail has been reached. We start solving from the lowest module onwards. This approach is called Bottom up design.
Phases in Programming
1. Problem identification: This is the first phase in programming. The problem must be identified then only it can be solved, for this we may have to answer some questions.
During this phase we have to identify the data, its type, quantity and formula to be used as well as what activities are involved to get the desired out put is also identified for example if you are suffering from stomach ache and consult a Doctor.
To diagnose the disease the Doctor may ask you some question regarding the diet, duration of pain, previous occurrences etc, and examine some parts of your body by using stethoscope X-ray, scanning etc.
2. Deriving the steps to obtain the solution. There are two methods, Algorithm and flowchart, are used for this.
(a) Algorithm:
The step-by-step procedure to solve a problem is known as algorithm. It comes from the name of a famous Arab mathematician Abu Jafer Mohammed Ibn Musaa Al-Khowarizmi. The last part of his name Al-Khowarizmi was corrected to algorithm.
(b) Flowchart:
The pictorial or graphical representation of an algorithm is called flowchart.
