Outline of the course

The following is a description of the contents of this course.

• Introduction; the computer as an all-purpose machine on the one hand, and the limitations of computers on the other hand.

• The algorithmic problem and the algorithm; the algorithm and the process; characteristics of the algorithm; elementary instructions.

• Constants and variables.

• Expressions and assignment statements.

• Sequentially structured algorithms.

• Ways of representing algorithms: Pseudocode, flowcharts, programming languages.

• The multi-layered chart.

• Correctness of algorithms.

• Conditional structured algorithms.

• Looping: bounded iterations, conditional iteration.

• Efficiency of algorithms.

• Functions and procedures.

• Arrays.

• Sort algorithms.

• Search algorithms.

• Recursion.

We should remark that most of the topics are introduced, taught and exercised, and then accompany the material of the whole course all along.