1.3 Problem Solving and Programming

Computer problem-solving ability is a combination of art and science, the transformation of a description--in English or another human language--of a problem into a form that permits a mechanical solution and the implementation of that solution on a computer. A relatively straightforward example of this process is transforming a word problem into a set of algebraic equations that can then be solved for one or more unknowns.

Most problems are not so easily solved. The problem-solving process is more difficult because problem descriptions are often incomplete, imprecise, or ambiguous. The successful problem solver needs to learn the following skills:

1. Ask the right questions in order to clarify the problem and obtain any information missing from the problem statement (this process is called problem specification).
2. Analyze the problem, attempting to extract its essential features and identify what is provided (the problem inputs) and what is required (the problem outputs).
3. Determine whether there are any constraints or simplifying assumptions that can be applied to facilitate the problem solution. We often cannot solve the most general case of a problem but must make some realistic assumptions that limit or constrain the problem so that it can be solved.
4. Apply knowledge of the problem environment and the formulas or equations that characterize it, to develop a series of steps whose successful completion will lead to the problem solution, eventually implementing or coding these steps in a form that can be submitted to a computer.
5. Once the solution is obtained, verify its accuracy by developing and carrying out a plan for testing it.

Copyright © 1996 by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.