“Computers never do what you want them to do, they only do what you tell them to!"

Thursday 16th October 2008
Hello Journal,

These are the definitions that we needed to find out, just to get some background information on creating computer programs.

1. Algorithms- A step-by-step problem-solving procedure, especially an established, recursive computational procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps.

2. Pseudocode- Program code unrelated to the hardware of a particular computer and requiring conversion to the code used by the computer before the program can be used. Also called symbolic code. For example, the pseudocode for a bubble sort routine might be written:

while not at end of list

compare adjacent elements

if second is greater than first

switch them

get next two elementsif elements were switched

repeat for entire list

3. Machine language- The lowest-level programming language (except for computers that utilize programmable microcode) Machine languages are the only languages understood by computers. While easily understood by computers, machine languages are almost impossible for humans to use because they consist entirely of numbers. [A set of instructions for a specific central processing unit, designed to be usable by a computer without being translated. Also called machine code.]

4. High-level computer language- A programming language such as C, FORTRAN, or Pascal that enables a programmer to write programs that are more or less independent of a particular type of computer. Such languages are considered high-level because they are closer to human languages and further from machine languages. In contrast, assembly languages are considered low-level because they are very close to machine languages.

The main advantage of high-level languages over low-level languages is that they are easier to read, write, and maintain. Ultimately, programs written in a high-level language must be translated into machine language by a compiler or interpreter.

5. Flowchart- graphical representation of the sequence of operations in an information system or program. Information system flowcharts show how data flows from source documents through the computer to final distribution to users. Program flowcharts show the sequence of instructions in a single program or subroutine. Different symbols are used to draw each type of flowchart.