Chapter One:    The Role of Algorithms in Computing

What are algorithms?

• An algorithm is a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output.
• The algorithm describes a specific computational procedure for achieving that input/output relationship.
• It is like a recipe that you can follow and solve problems.

• Understanding how to design an algorithm.
• Understanding how to evaluate an algorithm (running time from either math or programming to estimate ).
• There are a lot of sorting methods and each one has its own characteristic.  You need to analyze them

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• Having a strategy to come out a solution.

Example:   Guess the number (integer) between 1 and 100.
                 What is a strategy for the least number of questions you need to ask?
                       You may take 6 or 7 questions to get the answer for this problem, by
                            (Time <= log₂100)
                            Binary Search: (find mid-points)
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• Using JAVA or C++ or other languages to run your algorithm.