The purpose of an algorithm

Algorithms are really intended as a blueprint for communication to programmers.

Example: Finding the area of a circle

Problem Definition: A solution is needed to find the area of a circle given a radius.

Solution as a flowchart

Solution in pseudocode:

START 
//variable declaration
float radius
float area
float pi  = 3.14

//input
print "Please enter a radius"
input radius

//processing
area = pi * radius * radius


//output
print "The area is : ", area

END

Actual program code in C:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main()
{
    float radius, area;
    const float pi = 3.14;
    //input
    printf ("Please enter a radius\n");
    scanf("%f", &radius);

    //processing
    area = pi *radius *radius;
    printf ("\nThe area is : %f", area);



    return 0;
}

Notice how similar the pseudocode is to the actual coded solution.

© 2022  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

Spreadsheet Assignment 1

Excel File

1. Download the attached Excel file and complete the tasks listed in the sheet TUTORIAL TASKS. The Tasks are to be completed in sheet 1. Note, these tasks must be accomplished in Microsoft Excel and not google sheets. (SEE ATTACHED VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS).

2. After accomplishing the tasks, save your work.
3. Rename your File in the format “Last name, First name – Excel Exam”

3. Attach this file to to assignment and turn in your  submission before the deadline date.

Video instructions

https://youtu.be/YWw4rJDwKv0

© 2022  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

Fillable Forms (CSEC Tutorial in Microsoft Word)

https://youtu.be/HnudH-ApOoM

Students to follow along with the video, using Microsoft word to –
1. Enable the developer tab.
2. Create a fillable form
3. Create a submit button : Submit A word processing form Via email

Optional content


Can you create a fillable form using google forms? Reproduce the fillable form from the example using google forms if you can.

Homework

Read and practise the example from Information Technology for CSEC – 3rd edition, Howard Campbell, pg 154-157.

© 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

Categories Of Computers

There are various types of computers and used in the world today. You may already be accustomed to desktop computers and laptops, and this goes without saying – even your mobile devices.

Here, we take a more formal approach by creating an exhaustive list of categories based on the purpose of the computers in each category. The list includes:

  • supercomputers
  • mainframe computers
  • mini computers
  • Micro computers
    • desktop pc
    • laptop computer
    • tablet computer
    • mobile devices

  • embedded systems

Supercomputers

Trinity (supercomputer)
(Los Alamos National Laboratory, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons.)

Supercomputers are the fastest, most expensive computers in the world. They are specialized computers that are used mainly for scientific research and simulations

They are much faster than the regular general purpose computers (example: desktop PC) that we use every day, approximately 100 million times faster.

They are capable of storing a vast amount of data for processing.

They are very large, and can occupy the space of an entire floor in a  large building. Because of the high amounts of processing and the size of the supercomputer they consume a lot of electrical power which adds to the expense of running a supercomputer.

It should come as no surprise that’s super computers are very expensive. There aren’t a lot of supercomputers in the world for this reason, and scientists share their time with each other when using a supercomputer.

Supercomputers are used for various complex applications, most of them beyond on the scope of our study but one relatable  example would be in the simulation of weather systems for weather forecasting.

Mainframe Computers

<a title=”Erik Pitti from San Diego, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_System_360_Mainframe_(2371701458).jpg”>IBM System 360 Mainframe (2371701458)
(Erik Pitti from San Diego, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mainframe computers were built to be used by many people and an organization at the same time. It is a very large computer system and can fill up an entire room.

Multiple users connect to the mainframe computer via multiple terminals which consist of at least a monitor and keyboard.  Many other peripheral devices are also connected to the mainframe computer example printers, scanners external disk drives etc.

Although mainframe computers are very fast and can store a lot of data, they are much less expensive than a supercomputer.

Mainframe computers are used by medium size to large businesses for example, banks and insurance companies.

Mini Computer

K-202 minicomputer
(K-202 minicomputer, Olaf, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mini computers can be thought of as a smaller version of a mainframe computer intended to be more accessible and affordable to smaller businesses.

 Computers  Server

<a title=”Cskiran, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multiple_Server_.jpg”&gt;Multiple Server
Multiple Servers in a server rack (Cskiran, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Computer servers do exactly what their names imply.  They provide services across a computer network to other computers known as clients computers. Client computers can be any class of micro computer ( desktop PC’s, laptop computers, tablet computers and mobile devices ) or even another Server itself.

The most common example would be a print server on a network or a website server on the Internet.

In the case of a print server in an office, workers can access the printer across the computer network to print various documents.  This reduces the need for multiple printers.

In the case of the web server on the Internet, web pages are served to different users who use web browsers on their computers to access the server via a web address.

Micro computers

<a title=”John crane 59, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microcomputer_Collection.jpg”&gt;Microcomputer Collection
A collection of 70's era microcomputers: SWTPC 6800, Altair 8800 (running a Dazzler program), an Altair 8800B, and an AC-30 Cassette tape interface. (John crane 59, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

These computers fall into the category of average everyday personal use. they are not intended to be used by many people, only a single user at a time.

They include desktop PC’s, laptop computers, tablet computers and mobile devices.

Their  processing power is generally lower than a mainframe or mini computer but powerful enough to suit their needs of the user.

They are affordable enough to have widespread use across the entire world today.

Embedded computers

<a title=”Binary Koala from Berlin / Saint-Petersburg, TCP/IP, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons” href=”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Network_enabled_embedded_computer_board_-_London_Science_Museum,_2015-03-19_(by_Binary_Koala).jpg”>Network enabled embedded computer board - London Science Museum, 2015-03-19 (by Binary Koala)
Network enabled embedded computer board - London Science Museum, 2015-03-19  (Binary Koala from Berlin / Saint-Petersburg, TCP/IP, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

These are small specialized computer systems that are integrated into mechanical and or electrical machines.

For example, the microwave oven in your kitchen contains an embedded computer system which is able to be controlled via the keypad. the system is responsible for starting and stopping the operation of the microwave oven as well as controlling the power delivered to the microwave oven via the use of temperature sensors.

Embedded computers can be found in many household appliances and vehicles.

© 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

Using multiple selection statements (By Example)

Consider the following tasks below:

Task: a solution is required which prompts the user to enter a person’s name their gender and birth year. The solution should output a message stating the The person’s name, wheather they are an adult, teenager or child, as well as their gender.

E.g, If the user enters Khan Smith, male, 2000; the solution would output :

Khan Smith is an male adult who will be 21 years old this year.

or a similar message.

Flowchart Solution

This solution was created in Flowgorithm (Download files here):

Solution in Pseudocode

Start
    // Here we initialize variables for first use....
    personName = "Unknown"
    sex = "Unknown"
    currentYear = 2021
    birthYear = -9999
    
    // end initialization.
    // Get the data from the user....
    output "Please enter the person's  name"
    input personName
    output "Please enter the person's Year of Birth"
    input birthYear
    output "Please enter the person's sex, either M  for male, or  F for Female"
    input sex
    
    // start to process data...
    // Determine the sex form the entered character....
    if sex = "M" then
        sex = " is a male "
    else
        sex = " is a female "
    end If
    age = currentYear - birthYear
    if age > 19 then
        personType = " adult "
    else
        if age > 12 then
            personType = " teenager "
        else
            personType = " child "
        end If
    end If
    result = personName + sex + personType + "who will be " + age + " years in " + currentYear
    output result
    output "thanks for using my program!"
    
    // © 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.
End


© 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

Videos: Troubleshooting Hardware

See the following objective content and related videos.

These videos were chosen for each topic because they cover the subject matter in a relevant context. They definitely were not created specifically for the CSEC Syllabus, however , they do address the fundamental concepts in real world scenarios.

10.              troubleshoot basic computer hardware problems;Cable problems (for example, loose cables).

Monitor problems (for example, improperly adjusted monitor controls).

Printer problems (for example, changing printer cartridges).

 
Battery problems (for example, loose or dead
battery).
Optional : This video presents a comprehensive and structured troubleshooting procedure along with managing changes that may result from the problems that you are trying to solve:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PDn-Zteckc  

Monitor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-Ia1WA7RE  

Printer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD1Cgpv7aWc  

Common Hardware Problems (Booting problems, Power problems can be found within sections of this video) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VxERfTHgU

© 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved. 

SBA SCENARIO/CONTEXT Guide

At this stage groupings of students are finalized; It is necessary to get our project started. 

You will need to communicate the Idea/Scenario/context of your overall project to your teacher.

Task

Write a few sentences describing the Idea/Scenario/context of your overall project.  Describe  the entity  (Shop/business/company) as well as what activities occur with the entity.

At various parts of your SBA,  you may be assisting in facilitating an event , single activity or solving a day to day problem. Be sure to list the various productivity tools and how you will assist your entity. 

THIS TASK IS MEANT TO COMMUNICATE A BRIEF AND GENERAL IDEA TO YOUTR TEACHER. YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO START SOLVING THE PROBLEM IN THIS TASK, ONLY TO PROVIDE ENOUGH DETAIL THAT CAN BE EXPRESSED IN A 3-5 MINUITE CONVERSATION

An example template is shown below:

Template

Description of entity:

  • Word processing:

  • Website:

  • Spreadsheets:

  • Database:

  • Problem Solving And Programming:


EXAMPLE OF A SCENARIO

Description of entity:

Our School’s Scout Group.
The Scouts meet weekly and plan activities.  The scouts have items that they use for various events including camping,  fund raising and volunteer seminars

  • Word processing: 
    The scouts are expecting to recruit new members and have and seek donations from selected members of the public.  We will use a mail merge to create letters asking for donations from various large companies in Trinidad and Tobago. We will create a fillable form used to gather information from prospective new members.

  • Website:  A website will be created to give an online presence  for our scout group at school. We will include pictures of past events and generally tell people what we do and what current event we are planning.  We will also include a registration page, this page will contain the fillable form for download that users can fill out and email to us for registration.

  • Spreadsheets:
    We will create a budget for our fundraising event. It will be like a school bazaar , with different stalls, and a cover charge to enter the event. We will list all events their income, and expenses, as well as other income (donations) and additional expenses. We will also produce a simple summary of expenses for the year by month.
  • Database:
    A problem exists where our scout members borrow equipment from the group and lose them,  which can be costly to replace.  We will create a database for each item (cutlass, tent, rope etc) and the cost associated with replacement. We will keep a record of the various scout members borrowing items. And weather or not it was returned.  We will calculate the replacement costs per member.

  • Problem Solving And Programming: new scouts usually purchase items from our shop, including scarves, caps, shirts , membership badges etc.  We will create a “Cash register program which lists each item” and keep track of the number of item ordered and the total cost (E.g 2 scarves, 3 shirts, 1 badge)   If the total cost exceeds $200, we will apply a 10% discount.

© 2021  Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.