CMPG171: Study Unit 4

CMPG171
Software development and Structured Programming
Study Unit 4
Faculty of Natural- and Agricultural Sciences
eBook pg. 126-131, 147-151, 165-174, 187-196

Objectives:
• Understand what computer systems do, what a program is
and why we program;
• Describe the evolution of programming languages from
machine language to high-level languages;
• Understand simple program logic and the reasons for
structure;
• Describe the basic features of an algorithm;
• Describe how hardware and software collaborate in a
computer's architecture;
• Describe the steps in interpreting a program;
• Describe the three fundamental structures of structured
programming;
Understanding Computer Systems
• Computer system
• Combination of all the components required to process and store data using a
computer
• Hardware
• Equipment associated with a computer
• Software
• Computer instructions that tells the hardware what to do
• Programs
• Instructions written by programmers
• Programming
• Writing software instructions
Programming Logic and Design Ninth Edition

1)
(continued -
• Application software such as word processing, spreadsheets, payroll and

inventory, even games, app
• System software such as operating systems like Windows, Linux, or UNIX,
Google Android and Apple IOS
• Computer hardware and software accomplish three major operations
• Input
• Data items such as text, numbers, images, and sound
• Processing
• Calculations and comparisons performed by the central processing unit (CPU)
-2)
(continued
• Output
• Resulting information that is sent to a printer,
a monitor, or storage devices after processing
• A cloud based device is accessed through the Internet
• Programming language
• Used to write computer instructions called program code
• Writing instructions is called coding the program
• Examples
• Visual Basic, C#, C++, or Java
• Syntax
• Rules governing word usage and punctuation
• Mistakes in a language’s usage are syntax errors
5
-3)
(continued
• Computer memory
• Computer’s temporary, internal storage – random access memory (RAM)
• Volatile memory – lost when the power is off
• Permanent storage devices
• Nonvolatile memory
• Compiler or interpreter
• Translates source code into machine language (binary language) statements called
object code
• Checks for syntax errors
• Program executes or runs
• Input will be accepted, some processing will occur, and results will be output
• Why programming?
• Writing programs (or programming) is a very creative and rewarding activity. You can write
programs for many reasons ranging from making your living to solving a difficult data analysis
problem to having fun to helping someone else solve a problem.
6
Evolution of Programming language
• To build programs, people use languages that are similar to human

language. The results are translated into machine code (0,1), which
computer understands.
• Programming languages fall into three broad categories:

• Machine languages
• Assembly languages
• Higher-level languages
For more information on eFundi.

Understanding Simple Program
Logic
• Programs with syntax errors cannot execute
• Logical errors
• Errors in program logic produce incorrect output
• Logic of the computer program
• Sequence of specific instructions in specific order
• Variable
• Named memory location whose value can vary
• Example:
Get a bowl
Stir
Add two eggs Don’t Do it
Add a gallon of gasoline Don’t bake a cake like this
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
Add 3 cups of flour
Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Basic features of an Algorithm
• Sequence of steps that describes each of these computational

processes is called an algorithm.
• Features of an algorithm:
• Consists of a finite number of instructions
• Each individual instruction is well defined
• Action described by the instruction can be performed effectively or be executed by a
computing agent
• Describes a process that eventually halts after arriving at a solution to a
problem
• Solves a general class of problems
• Computers can be designed to run a small set of algorithms for
performing specialized tasks
Basic features of an Algorithm
• Pseudocode
• English-like representation of the logical steps it takes to solve a problem
• Flowchart
• Pictorial representation of the logical steps it takes to solve a problem
Writing Pseudocode
• Pseudocode representation of a number-doubling problem
start
input myNumber
set myAnswer = myNumber * 2
output myAnswer
stop

Pseudocode Standards
• Programs begin with the word start and end with the word stop;
these two words are always aligned
• Whenever a module name is used, it is followed by a set of
parentheses
• Modules begin with the module name and end with return. The
module name and return are always aligned
• Each program statement performs one action—for example, input,
processing, or output

Pseudocode Standards (continued -1)
• Program statements are indented a few spaces more than the word
start or the module name
• Each program statement appears on a single line if possible. When
this is not possible, continuation lines are indented
• Program statements begin with lowercase letters
• No punctuation is used to end statements

Drawing Flowcharts
• Create a flowchart
• Draw geometric shapes that contain the individual statements
• Connect shapes with arrows
• Input symbol
• Indicates input operation
• Parallelogram
• Processing symbol
• Contains processing statements such as arithmetic
• Rectangle

Drawing Flowcharts (continued -1)
• Output symbol
• Represents output statements
• Parallelogram
• Flowlines
• Arrows that connect steps
• Terminal symbols
• Start/stop symbols
• Shaped like a racetrack
• Also called lozenges

Drawing Flowcharts (continued -2)

Repeating Instructions
• Program in Figure 1-7 only works for one number
• Not feasible to run the program over and over 10,000 times
• Not feasible to add 10,000 lines of code to a program
• Create a loop (repetition of a series of steps) instead
• Avoid an infinite loop (repeating flow of logic that never ends)

Repeating Instructions (continued -1)

Repeating Instructions (continued -2)

The Structure of a Modern Computer System
• A modern computer system consists of hardware and software

• Hardware: physical devices required to execute algorithms
• Software: set of these algorithms, represented as programs in particular
programming languages
© 2018 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed
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Computer Hardware (1 of 3)
• Basic hardware components of a computer are:

• Memory
• Central processing unit (CPU)
• Set of input/output devices
• Computers can also communicate with the external world through various
ports that connect them to networks and to other devices
• Computer memory is set up to represent and store information in electronic

form
• Stored as patterns of binary digits (1s and 0s)
• Random access memory (RAM) is also called internal or primary
• Part of a computer responsible for processing data is the central processing
unit (CPU), also called processor
• External or secondary memory can be magnetic, semiconductor, or optical
Computer Software (1 of 3)
• A program stored in computer memory must be represented in binary

digits, or machine code
• A loader takes a set of machine language instructions as input and loads
them into the appropriate memory locations
• The most important example of system software is a computer’s
operating system
• Some important parts: file system, user interfaces (terminal-based, GUIs, or
touchscreen interface)
• Applications include Web browsers, word processors, spreadsheets,
database managers, graphic design packages, games, etc…
• Scientists have developed high-level programming languages for

expressing algorithms
• Resemble English and allow the author to express algorithms in a form that other
people can understand
• Programmers usually start by writing high-level language statements in a
text editor
• Runs another program called a translator to convert program code into executable
code
• Translator checks for syntax errors
• If no errors are found, program can be executed by the run-time system
• Might execute program directly on the hardware or run another program called an
interpreter or virtual machine to execute the program
Three fundamentals of Structured
Programming.
• Structured programming (sometimes known as modular programming) is a
type of procedural programming that enforces a logical structure on the
program being written to make it more efficient and easier to understand and
modify. Structured programming have three basic logic structures:
• Sequence: ordered statements or subroutines executed in sequence.

• Selection: one or a number of statements is executed depending on the state of the
program.
• Repetition: a statement or block is executed until the program reaches a certain state,
or operations have been applied to every element of a collection.
Getting Started with Python Programming
• Early 1990s: Guido van Rossum

• invented the Python programming language
• Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language for solving
problems on modern computer systems
• Useful resources at www.python.org
Running Code in the Interactive Shell (1 of 2)
• Python is an interpreted language

• Simple Python expressions and statements can be run in the shell
• Easiest way to open a Python shell is to launch the I DLE
• To quit, select the window’s close box or press Control+D
• Shell is useful for:
• Experimenting with short expressions or statements
• Consulting the documentation
Running Code in the Interactive Shell (2 of 2)
Input, Processing, and Output (1 of 5)
• Programs usually accept inputs from a source, process them, and output
results to a destination
• In terminal-based interactive programs, these are the keyboard and terminal display
• In Python, inputs are Python expressions or statements
• Outputs are the results displayed in the shell
• Programmers can also force output of a value by using the print function
• print (<expression>)
• Example:
>>>print (“Hi there”)

Hi there
• The following example receives an input string from the user and saves it for further
processing:
>>> name = input(“Enter your name:”)

Enter your name: Ken Lambert
>>> name
‘Ken Lambert’
>>> print(name)
Ken Lambert
>>>
• The input function always builds a string from the user’s keystrokes and
returns it to the program
• Strings that represent numbers must be converted from strings to
appropriate number types
• Two type conversion functions: int (for integers) and float (for floating-point numbers)
• The next session inputs two integers and displays their sum:
>>> first = int(input(“Enter the first number: ”))

Enter the first number: 23
>>> second = int(input(“Enter the second number:”))
Enter the second number: 44
>>> print(“The sum is”, first + second)
The sum is 67
Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

Function What It Does
float(<a string of digits>) Converts a string of digits to a floating-point

value.
int(<a string of digits>) Converts a string of digits to an integer value.
input(<a string prompt>) Displays the string prompt and waits for
keyboard input. Returns the string of characters
entered by the user.
print(<expression>, Evaluates the expressions and displays them,
...,<expression>) separated by one space, in the console window.
<string 1> + <string 2> Glues the two strings together and returns the
result.

Editing, Saving, and Running a Script (1 of 3)
• We can then run Python program files or scripts within IDLE or from the OS’s
command prompt
• Run within IDLE using menu option, F5 (Windows), or Control+F5 (Mac or Linux)
• Python program files use .py extension
• Running a script from IDLE allows you to construct some complex programs,
test them, and save them in program libraries to reuse or share with others

Behind the Scenes: How Python Works

Detecting and Correcting Syntax Errors (1 of 2)
• Programmers inevitably make typographical errors when editing

programs, called syntax errors
• The Python interpreter will usually detect these
• Syntax: rules for forming sentences in a language
• When Python encounters a syntax error in a program, it halts execution
with an error message
• Example:
>>> length = int(input(“Enter the length: ”))

Enter the length: 44
>>> print(lenth)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “<pyshell#l>”, line 1, in <module>
NameError: name ‘lenth’ is not defined

Detecting and Correcting Syntax Errors (2 of 2)
• The next statement attempts to print the value of the correctly spelled
variable:
>>> print(length)
SyntaxError: unexpected indent
• Final example, programmer attempts to add two numbers, but forgets to
include the second one:
>>> 3 +
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

Chapter Summary (1 of 3)
• An algorithm is a sequence of steps that describes each of these

computational processes. Two types: Pseudocode and Flowchart.
• Real computing agents can be constructed out of hardware devices
• CPU, memory, and input and output devices
• Some real computers are specialized for a small set of tasks, whereas a
desktop or laptop computer is a general-purpose problem-solving
machine
• Software provides the means whereby different algorithms can be run on
a general-purpose hardware device
• Written in programming languages

• Languages such as Python are high-level

• Interpreter translates a Python program to a lower-level form that can be
executed on a real computer
• Python shell provides a command prompt for evaluating and viewing the
results of Python expressions and statements
• IDLE is an integrated development environment that allows the
programmer to save programs in files and load them into a shell for testing
• Python scripts are programs that are saved in files and run from a terminal
command prompt

• When a Python program is executed, it is translated into byte code

• Sent to PVM for further interpretation and execution
• Syntax: set of rules for forming correct expressions and statements in a
programming language

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CMPG171

Software development and Structured Programming

eBook pg. 126-131, 147-151, 165-174, 187-196

Programming Logic and Design Ninth Edition

• Application software such as word processing, spreadsheets, payroll and

• To build programs, people use languages that are similar to human

• Programming languages fall into three broad categories:

For more information on eFundi.

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

• Sequence of steps that describes each of these computational

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

Programming Logic and Design, Ninth Edition

• A modern computer system consists of hardware and software

• Basic hardware components of a computer are:

• Computer memory is set up to represent and store information in electronic

• A program stored in computer memory must be represented in binary

• Scientists have developed high-level programming languages for

• Sequence: ordered statements or subroutines executed in sequence.

• Early 1990s: Guido van Rossum

• Python is an interpreted language

>>>print (“Hi there”)

>>> name = input(“Enter your name:”)

>>> first = int(input(“Enter the first number: ”))

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

Function What It Does

float(<a string of digits>) Converts a string of digits to a floating-point

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

• Programmers inevitably make typographical errors when editing

>>> length = int(input(“Enter the length: ”))

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

• An algorithm is a sequence of steps that describes each of these

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

• Languages such as Python are high-level

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

• When a Python program is executed, it is translated into byte code

Fundamentals of Python: First programs second edition

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