COMPROG 1 MIDTERM REVIEWER
PROBLEM – something the result of which is not readily
available.
Law of Equifinality – same goal can be achieved through
different courses of action and a variety of paths.
ALGORITHMS – relates to the name of mathematician Al-
khowarizmi, which means a procedure or a technique.
 A set of steps that generates a finite sequence of
operations which leads to the solution of a given
problem.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ALGORITHMS
Input – algorithm may or may not require input
Output – each algorithm is expected to produce at least one
result
Definiteness – Each instruction must be clear and
unambiguous.
Finiteness – If the instructions of an algorithm are executed,
the algorithm should terminate after finite number of steps
FLOWCHART – is a pictorial or diagrammatic representation of
an algorithm so that it can be easier and quicker to
understand.
 SYSTEM FLOWCHART – they contain solutions of many
problem units together that are closely related to each
other and interact with each other to achieve a goal.
 PROGRAM FLOWCHART – flowcharting symbols used
mirror computer programs
 They contain steps to solve a problem to achieve a
specific result.
 Any error can be easier to detect because it is a
visual representation of the logic of a program
PSEUDOCODE – combining natural and programming
language to describe computer algorithms.
- structural conventions of a programming language, but is
intended for human reading.
- simple way to represent an algorithm or program.
MODULO OPERATOR / remainder operator (%) - returns the
remainder when the first operand is divided by the second
operand.
NATURAL LANGUAGE – languages that humans speak
MACHINE LANGUAGE – composed of binary digits that
computers can understand.
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE - Set of commands, instructions,
and other syntax use to create a software program.
PROGRAM – organized list of instructions that causes
computer to behave in a predetermined manner.
PYTHON – conceptualized by Guido van Rossum
 Started in 1989
 Named after the British TV show Monty Python
 Python 1: 1994, Python 2:2000, Python 3:2008
- A high level programming language with applications in
numerous areas.
- An interpreted language, which means that each line is
executed as it is entered.
Editor- where you type your code
Code- commands or instructions written in a particular
programming language
Interpreter- prompts the computer to execute or run your
program
Integrated Development Environment (IDE) – helps create
programs and applications in diff programming languages.
Interpreter – a program that run scripts written in an
interpreted language.
Indention – indicates groups or blocks of code
Program comment (#) – notes or reminders
Printing Text – used to display output or text
.py – extension for python files
>>> - prompt symbol of Python console
Variable – an identifier or name for a reserved memory
location for storing values.
Python is dynamically-typed – the type or the memory
management for the variable will only be determined during
runtime.
DATA TYPE – determines the kind of information that is stored
in a variable
1. Numeric
 Integer (int) – for whole numbers
 Float (float) – for decimals
2. String (str) – for characters; letters, numbers, symbol
3. Boolean (bool) – George Boole – for true or false
BASIC OPERATORS
 Arithmetic Operators – mathematical operations
 Comparison (Relational) Operators – tru or folz
 Assignment Operators – assigns value to a variable
 Logical Operators – combining logical statements
ESCAPE CHARACTERS (\)– allows us to avoid errors caused by
using “illegal characters”
\n – inserts a new line in the text
\t – inserts a tab in the text
\’ – inserts a single quote character
\” - inserts a double quote character
\\ - inserts a backslash character
For Loop - used for sequential traversal.
 The range() Function - To loop through a set of code
a specified number of times, we can use the range()
function.
 Else in For Loop - specifies a block of code to be
executed when the loop is finished. The else block
will NOT be executed if the loop is stopped by a
break statement.

CONCATENATION ( + or , ) – process of merging two or more

strings, on either sides

TYPE CASTING - the method to convert the variable datatype

into a certain data type.

 Explicit type conversion – done by the user

 Implicit type conversion – automatically performed
by the interpreter

PRECISION HANDLING USING % - determines the number of

digits to be displayed after the decimal point

FIRST BUG – Harvard University, 1947

 Mark II was having consistent errors; a literal bug

disrupted the electronics of the computer.

TYPES OF ERRORS:

 Syntax Error (parsing error) – caused by improper

format or syntax. Pointed out during translation.
 Occurs during interpretation time.
 Semantic Error – when the syntax is correct but the
program logic is not, resulting to incorrect output.
 Occurs during runtime.

DEBUGGING – process of finding and correcting errors or

bugs in the program code.

How to avoid debugging?

-Understand the problem
-Start small
-Keep improving your code

DEBUGGER – helpful for finding and correcting bugs that are

difficult to find.

Decision Control statement - a statement that determines the

control flow of a set of instructions.

Nested if - an if-elif-else construct inside another if-elif-else

construct.

Nesting - functions that you define inside other functions. Any

number of these statements can be nested inside one
another.

While Loop - used to execute a block of statements

repeatedly until a given condition is satisfied.

 The break Statement - With the break statement we

can stop the loop even if the while condition is true
 The else statement - With the else statement we can
run a block of code once when the condition no longer
is true
 The continue Statement - With the continue statement
we can stop the current iteration, and continue with
the next