TOPIC 1:

APPROACH IN PROBLEM SOLVING

[ 1.1 Steps in Problem Solving ]

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 CLO3
Learning Outcome:
At the end of this subtopic, students should be
able to:

✔ Identify steps in problem solving (problem

analysis, design a solution, implementation,
testing and documentation).

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[ Introduction ]

This subtopic introduces

you to the process
that programmers
follow when solving
problems that require
a computer solution.

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 [ Introduction ]
Computers are NOT intelligent.

● Computers do what we tell them to do.

They don't do anything by
themselves.
● We must clearly tell a computer what to do in a
step by step manner using a programming language.
● Computers are just electronic devices that have the
power to perform difficult tasks but they do not
'KNOW' what to do.
● Programmers tell the computers what to do by
writing programs.
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 [ Steps in Problem Solving ]

Five (5) steps in problem solving:

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 [ Steps in Problem Solving ]
(1) Problem Analysis

• State the problem clearly.

• Identify input, process and output
based on the problem.
(2) Design a Solution

• Prepare an algorithm (pseudocode &

flowchart) for its solution.
• Write step-by-step procedure
and then verify that the algorithm
solves the problem as intended.
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 [ Steps in Problem Solving ]

(3) Implementation

• Coding / Programming is the

process of translating the algorithm
into the
syntax of a given programming language.
(4) Testing

• Testing means running the program,

executing all its instructions / functions,
and testing the logic by entering sample
data to check the output.
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 [ Steps in Problem Solving ]

(5) Documentation

• All of the flowcharts, messages,

algorithms, lines of code, and the user
manuals are part of this documentation.

• Internal documentation is used by

other programmers to help them know
why you did something a certain way
or tell them how you wrote a program.

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 [ Steps in Problem Solving ]

(5) Documentation

• External documentation includes

user manuals and anything that is
not the actual code or is art of the
listing.

• This should also include materials that

are placed on a website such as FAQs
(frequently asked questions).

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Summary

Five (5) steps in problem solving

- Problem Analysis
- Design a Solution
- Implementation
- Testing
- Documentation

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