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14.1 ALGORITHM
              The word Algorithm derives from the name of the book  “Algoritmi” written in Latin. The book was translation of the
              works of  eminent Persian scientist, astronomer and mathematician of 9th century, Abdullah Muhammad bin Musa
              al-Khwarizmi, often referred as “The father of Algebra”,  But the idea of algorithm existed long before that. Let us go
              back to history, and know about a few of them.
              •  Vedic mathematicians used the “ūrdhva tiryagbhyāṃ” algorithm to perform integer multiplication quickly.















              •  Vedic mathematicians Brahmagupta, Bhaskara and Jaydeva developed a cyclic algorithm called “Chakravala” to
                 solve quadratic equations.
              •  Babylonian-Sumerian method of extracting roots is believed to be the first documented algorithm of mathematical
                 computation.
              •  Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm was designed by Greek mathematicians to find prime numbers.


                                                             Definition

                    An algorithm is a set of well-defined finite steps or rules to be followed to solve any given problem.




              14.1.1 Advantages of an Algorithm
              Some of the advantages of an algorithm are as follows:
              •  An algorithm improves the overall efficiency of a program.
              •  Every step in an algorithm follows a logical sequence, so it helps in program development and debugging.
              •  An algorithm provides a proper understanding of the input requirement, output and flow of the process.
              •  An algorithm measures the performance of the methods in different cases (i.e., best case, worst cases, and average
                 case).
              •  An algorithm also reduces the cost of design.

              14.1.2 Disadvantages of an Algorithm
              Some of the disadvantages of using an algorithm are as follows:
              •  Developing an algorithm is a time-consuming process.
              •  Complex algorithms are very difficult to design and understand.

              •  There is no definite industry standard for writing an algorithm.
              •  It is difficult to design branching and looping procedures in an algorithm.

                   14.2 PSEUDOCODES AND FLOWCHARTS
              We now know that an algorithm is a step-by-step sequence of solving a problem. It is written in a natural language like
              English. There is no standard form or syntax of writing an algorithm. It is a systematic and logical approach for solving
              a specific problem and is used in planning during software development process.



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