IB Digital Society Topic 3.2C Representing Algorithms Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB Digital Society Topic 3.2C Representing Algorithms Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

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3.2C Representing Algorithms

Writing an Algorithm Down

An algorithm in someone's head is not much use; to be shared, checked, and built it must be written down in a form other people or a computer can follow.
There are three common representations: natural language, a flowchart, and code. All three can describe the same logic but aim at different readers and stages, from a rough sketch to a finished program.
How something is represented is also a question of accountability. A rule kept only as code on a company's servers stays invisible to the people it affects. Written in plain language, the same rule can be read and challenged by them (power, values and ethics).

Natural Language and Pseudocode

The simplest representation is plain natural language: steps written as ordinary sentences. Anyone can read it with no training, ideal for explaining to a non-expert or a first draft.
Its weakness is ambiguity. A phrase like keep going for a while has several readings. A person fills the gap with common sense; a computer cannot.
Pseudocode keeps the readability of plain language but adds the structure of code, with clear steps, conditions, and loops, while staying free of any one programming language's rules. It is the middle ground where logic is worked out before real code is written.

Flowcharts

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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3.2C Representing Algorithms

Writing an Algorithm Down

An algorithm in someone's head is not much use; to be shared, checked, and built it must be written down in a form other people or a computer can follow.
There are three common representations: natural language, a flowchart, and code. All three can describe the same logic but aim at different readers and stages, from a rough sketch to a finished program.
How something is represented is also a question of accountability. A rule kept only as code on a company's servers stays invisible to the people it affects. Written in plain language, the same rule can be read and challenged by them (power, values and ethics).

Natural Language and Pseudocode

The simplest representation is plain natural language: steps written as ordinary sentences. Anyone can read it with no training, ideal for explaining to a non-expert or a first draft.
Its weakness is ambiguity. A phrase like keep going for a while has several readings. A person fills the gap with common sense; a computer cannot.
Pseudocode keeps the readability of plain language but adds the structure of code, with clear steps, conditions, and loops, while staying free of any one programming language's rules. It is the middle ground where logic is worked out before real code is written.

Flowcharts

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

End of article

Topic 1 - Introduction - Digital Society1 subtopic

Topic 2 - Concepts - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 3 - Content - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 4 - Contexts - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 5 - Challenges and Interventions - Digital Society (HL)3 subtopics

IB Digital Society 3.2C Representing Algorithms Notes

Topic 1 - Introduction - Digital Society1 subtopic

Topic 2 - Concepts - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 3 - Content - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 4 - Contexts - Digital Society7 subtopics

Topic 5 - Challenges and Interventions - Digital Society (HL)3 subtopics

3.2C Representing Algorithms

Writing an Algorithm Down

Natural Language and Pseudocode

Flowcharts

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

3.2C Representing Algorithms

Writing an Algorithm Down

Natural Language and Pseudocode

Flowcharts

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account