Page 103 - Computer science 868 Class 12
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Similarly, for any problem solving be it our day-to-day work, or any mathematical or computational problem, we need
to follow a set of steps in a proper sequence, to achieve our desired goal. In mathematics and computer science, this
process of listing instructions step-wise is called an Algorithm.
Definition
An algorithm is a set of well-defined finite steps or rules to be followed to solve any given problem.
The word Algorithm derives from the name of the book “Algoritmi” written in Latin.
The book was a translation of the works of eminent Persian scientist, astronomer and
mathematician of the 9th century, Abdullah Muhammad bin Musa al-Khwarizmi, often
referred as “The father of Algebra”, But the idea of algorithms 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.
Muhammad Ibn Musa al
Khwarizmi
(1646–1716),
a Mathematician
Astronomer, Geographer
and Historian
• Vedic mathematicians Brahmagupta, Bhaskara and Jaydeva developed a cyclic algorithm called “Chakravala” to
solve quadratic equations.
• The Babylonian-Sumerian method of extracting roots is believed to be the first documented algorithm of
mathematical computation.
• The Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm was designed by Greek mathematicians to find prime numbers.
3.3 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 for writing an algorithm. It is a systematic and logical approach for solving
a specific problem and is used in planning during the software development process.
There can be several other approaches to do the same namely using pseudo codes and flowcharts. Let us discuss them
one by one.
3.3.1 Pseudocodes
A pseudocode is an informal way of writing a program, but not in any high-level language. It represents the algorithm
in simple English statements (or any other recognised language) and mathematical notations. Like algorithms, there is
no definite syntax to follow when writing pseudocodes and it is mainly used for documentation purposes. In pseudo
code, knowledge of programming language is not compulsory, rather the plan to derive an efficient solution to the
problem and expressing it in simple language is a must.
Definition
Pseudocode is a representation of an algorithm in any standard human readable language and mathematical notations.
101
Implementation of Algorithms to Solve Problems 101

