Fluency with Information Technology, 6e (Snyder)
Chapter 10 Algorithmic Thinking: What’s the Plan?
10.1 True/False Questions
1) Algorithms are rare and seldom used outside of the field of computers.
2) The type of data, the amount of data, and the form of the data that the algorithm expects. must
be specified.
3) The sequence of commands is important in an algorithm.
4) To be effective, an algorithm needs outside help and further input.
5) Algorithms always use functions–operations that the agent already knows how to perform–to
simplify the algorithmic description.
6) Replacing nouns with pronouns in a natural language algorithm will make the algorithm more
understandable.
7) An algorithm must be a systematic method for producing a specified result.
8) An algorithm must contain a loop.
9) A loop in an algorithm must include some test which can end the repetition.
10) A possible output for some computations is a statement that there is no output–that is, there is
no possible solution.
11) Programs containing loops can be verified exhaustively, that is, by trying all cases.
12) The way to know that an algorithm works is to know what properties the computation has
that cause it to produce the right result every time, and to be able to explain how they do the job.
13) A heuristic process is an example of an algorithm.
14) Anyone who creates an algorithm needs to know why it works.
1) A computer algorithm must have:
A) a specified input and output
B) definiteness
C) effectiveness
D) all of the above
2) Which of the following is a good example of effectiveness?
A) Add 1 to the total number of students registered.
B) Subtract the amount spilled from the amount in the glass.
C) Add next month’s rainfall to this month’s.
D) Enter the test score you would have gotten had you studied harder.
3) Which of the following lacks finiteness?
A) Bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.
B) Read Chapter 10.
C) Repeat until you get to the end of the file.
D) Find pi.
4) Algorithms should:
A) be written to solve one specific case
B) use resources efficiently
C) only be clear to the algorithm designer
D) be ambiguous to allow creativity
5) Which of the following is an example of definiteness?
A) Add and multiply values A, B, and C to obtain the result.
B) Add A and B. Divide the sum by C. If C = 0, the solution is “undefined.”
C) Use multiplication and addition operations to solve the problem.
D) All of the above
6) Different algorithms for the same problem can:
A) solve the same problem differently
B) take different amounts of processing time
C) mean that one algorithm is preferred over others
D) all of the above
7) The intersect of an alphabetized list (IAL) and the No Alphabetized Lists (NAL) are different
solutions because they:
A) require different forms of the input
B) rely on the characteristics of the input
C) have different running times
D) all of the above
8) The correct order from lowest to highest level of detail of the same program is:
A) assembly language, programming language, and binary
B) programming language, assembly language, and binary
C) binary, assembly language, and programming language
D) binary, programming language, and assembly language
9) Instruction sequences that repeat are called:
A) loops
B) assumptions
C) tests
D) sorting
10) Programmers use programming languages instead of natural languages because
programming languages:
A) are extremely easy to learn
B) allow only a limited number of possible solutions for a specific problem
C) are precise and unambiguous
D) allow more details to be omitted
11) A heuristic process:
A) is guaranteed to work 100 percent of the time
B) yields the specified answer or reports back that no such answer exists
C) provides guidelines for finding a solution
D) all of the above
1) A precise, systematic method for producing a specified result is a(n) ________.
2) English is an example of a(n) ________ language.
3) A(n) ________, such as JavaScript, is a formal notation used to precisely define an algorithm.
4) An algorithm that has no successful end to it violates the ________ property.
5) ________ is the data resulting from the computation, the intended result.
6) A(n) ________ is an idea or concept extracted from a specific situation.
7) The property of ________ means that an algorithm must eventually stop.
8) A(n) ________ is a guideline used to solve a problem that can, but may not, result in a
solution.
9) ________ means to exactly specify every step in the sequence of operations for transforming
the input into the output.
10) ________ is the data to be transformed during the computation to produce the output.