- Video
- Algorithm = procedure for solving problem
- Must be...
- Effective steps
- Doable
- Finite
- Correct
- No uncertainty
- Section 3.1
- Algorithm = sequence of steps to solve problem
- Top-down
- Break problem into tasks
- e.g.,
- Get input
- Calculate
- Display outputs
- Connection to roots of quadratic polynomials, lotteries?
- Computer program/instructions = algorithm
- e.g., quadratics
- Assign values to a, b, c (inputs)
- Discriminant = √(b2-4ac)
- x1 = (-b + discriminant) / 2a
- x2 = (-b - discriminant) / 2a
- (Outputs = x1 and x2)
- The above style of algorithm description is sometimes called “pseudocode”
- Planning calculation of probability of winning a second-place prize
- To win second place, you have to pick 5 out of the 6 numbers in
the winning set, and then pick the 6th number from any of the 53
numbers that won’t complete a winning set for you
- To win second place, you have to pick 5 out of the 6 numbers in
the winning set, and then pick the 6th number from any of the 53
numbers that won’t complete a winning set for you
- Introduction to vectors
- Read section 2.1
- Optionally watch
- Second part of “Variables and Simple Arrays” video at http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/matlab/unit01/variables-arrays.shtml
- “Indexing Arrays” video at http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/matlab/unit01/indexing-arrays.shtml