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Computer Science 4. Draw a flowchart to calculate the (i) It can be easily modified, unlike
can be used in all types of problems
flowcharts.
that needs a solution?
(ii) It can be read and understood easily.
area of a circle.
(iii) It is easier to convert the pseudocode
FOR ONLINE READING ONLY
flowcharts.
Representation of algorithms to a programming language than
using pseudocode (iv) It is helpful in structured design.
(v) It can be easily written using any
Pseudocode is the textural representation word processor or text editor.
of an algorithm containing a detailed
description of instructions. Pseudocode Disadvantages of pseudocode
is a non-formal language that helps
programmers to write algorithms. It is The following are the disadvantages of
a type of structured English or Swahili pseudocode:
used to specify an algorithm. It is neither (i) It is more difficult for a beginner to
compiled nor executed by a computer. follow the logic or write pseudocode
There are no accurate formatting or
syntax rules for writing pseudocodes. than a flowchart.
(ii) There is no standard way of writing
The importance of pseudocode pseudocode. As a result, we can
Pseudocode is easy to read, understand, have different pseudocodes from
and modify. Pseudocode helps review one problem.
the steps to confirm that the expected
implementation will achieve the desired In pseudocode, keywords are used to
output. indicate common input, processing
operations, and output. They can be
Advantages of pseudocode written entirely in uppercase or start
The following are the advantages of with a capital letter. The commonly used
pseudocode: keywords are described in Table 8.2.
Table 8.2: Standard keywords used in pseudocode
Item Keyword Description
1 START or BEGIN This is used whenever you start your
pseudocode.
2 INPUT, READ, or GET These are keywords used for inputting data.
4 PRINT, DISPLAY, or This will show your output to a screen or any
SHOW output device.
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