Chapter 1 Assessment Item

Use the five step process to design a pseudocode algorithm for the following scenarios:

Create a flow chart for each algorithm.

Publish your work to your assignment document.

Scenario 1

A graphic artist needs to be able to provide quotes for creating business cards for clients.Business cards have an initial artwork setup cost and a cost per card. She needs to be able to enter the initial artwork setup cost,the cost per card,and the number of cards required.The program should then calculate the quote and display the result on the screen.

Problem

To provide quotes for clients business cards

Inputs

Initial artwork setup cost
Cost per card
Number of cards required

Outputs

The Quote

Processing

Get the initial artwork setup cost
Get the cost per card
Get the number of cards required
Add the initial artwork setup cost to the cost per card and multiply this figure by the number of cards required

Algorithm

Calculate the quote
Prompt the user for the initial artwork setup cost
Get the initial artwork setup cost
Validate the initial artwork setup cost
Prompt the user for the cost per card
Get the cost per card
Validate the cost per card
Prompt the user for the number of cards required
Get the number of cards required
Validate the number of cards required
Initial artwork setup cost + cost per card x number of cards required
Display the quote
Close Display
End

Scenario 2

A project manager needs to be able to to estimate how many weeks it will take to complete a project.She needs to be able to enter the number of project team members,the number of hours in a working week and the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project. The program should then calculate the number of weeks it will take to complete the project.The number of weeks should then be displayed on the screen.

Problem

To find out how many weeks it will take to complete a project

Inputs

Number of project team members
Number of hours in a working week
Estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project

Outputs

The number of weeks it will take to complete the project

Processing

Get the number of project team members
Get the number of hours in a working week
Get the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project
Multiply the number of team projects members by the number of hours in a working week,divide this figure by the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project

Algorithm

Calculate the weeks
Prompt the user for the number of project team members
Get the number of project team members
Validate the number of project team members
Prompt the user for the number of hours in a working week
Get the number of hours in a working week
Validate the number of hours in a working week
Prompt the user for the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project
Get the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project
Validate the estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project
Number of project team members x number of hours in a working week / estimated number of hours it will take to complete the project
Display the number of weeks
Close Display
End

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.7

View the code for each button and note of any differences you can see in the algorithm. We will discuss these differences as we continue.
 
Publish the differences in each algorithm to your assessment document.

Public Class Form1

    Private Sub btnEnds_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnEnds.Click

        Dim intCount = 0
        Do While intCount <= 1
            MsgBox("This is a repeating message box with an end")
            intCount += 1
        Loop

    End Sub

    Private Sub btnNeverEnds_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnNeverEnds.Click

        Dim intCount = 0
        Do While intCount <= 1
            MsgBox("This is a repeating message box that never ends (you will need to click the stop button to end)")
        Loop

    End Sub
End Class

The difference between the two algorithms as you can see above is that with the button that says end,the message actually does end whereas with the button named never ends,the message never ends.Basically the later message is looping,it is constantly continuing.

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.6

Locate and unzip the file named LA_1.6.zip

Run the program and click the Ends button. You will be presented with a MsgBox

(message box), click OK on each box until the program finishes.
 
Run the program and click the Never Ends button. This time you can click the OK

button as many times as you like, but the program will not stop.

You get a button in which the message ends and one in which it never does until you stop the debugging process

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.5

Describe how the algorithms you developed in 1.1 and 1.2 end.

Publish your descriptions to your assessment document.

To indicate that the program has ended it requires the display to close.
The algorithm must end in an approriate manner. In my algortithms below you can see that after the result has been desplayed i have put display close,this is so that the user is not left with the results on the screen.

Calculate the cost of the parcel
Prompt the user for the parcel weight
Get the parcel weight
Validate parcel weight
Prompt the user for the standard charge
Get the standard charge
Validate standard charge
Parcel weight x Standard charge
Display the cost of the parcel
Close Display
End

Calculate the hours

Prompt the user for the number of levels
Get the number of levels
Validate number of levels
Prompt the user for the past performance
Get the past performance
Validate past performance
Number of levels x Past performance
Display the number of hours that it will take to finish all of the levels
Close Display
End

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.4

Refine the pseudocode algorithm you created in activity 1.2 to take into account all possible situations.

Publish your refined algorithm to your assessment document.

Calculate the hours

Prompt the user for the number of levels

Get the number of levels

Validate number of levels

Prompt the user for the past performance

Get the past performance

Validate past performance

Number of levels x Past performance

Display the number of hours that it will take to finish all of the levels

End

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.3B

Refine the pseudocode algorithm you created in activity 1.1 to take into account all possible situations.

Publish your refined algorithm to your assessment document.

Calculate the cost of the parcel

Prompt the user for the parcel weight

Get the parcel weight

Validate parcel weight

Prompt the user for the standard charge

Get the standard charge

Validate standard charge

Parcel weight x Standard charge

Display the cost of the parcel

End

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.3A

Create a flow chart for each of the algorithms you created in activities 1.1 and 1.2.

Publish both of the flow charts to your assessment document.

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.2

Using the five step process, develop an algorithm for the following problem:

You want to estimate the number of hours it will take you to complete all of the levels in a new video game based on your past performance with other games.

Publish your findings and the resulting algorithm from the five-step process to your
assessment document.

Step One: Define the problem

Find out how long it will take you to finish all of the levels in a new video game

Step Two: Define the inputs

The number of levels
Past performance

Step Three: Define the outputs

The number of hours it will take to complete all of the levels

Step Four: Define processing

Get the number of levels
Get the past performance
Multiply the number of levels by the past performance

Step Five: Develop the algorithm

Calculate the hours

Prompt the user for the number of levels
Get the number of levels
Prompt the user for the past performance
Get the past performance
Number of levels x Past performance
Display the number of hours that it will take to finish  all of the levels

End

Learning & Assessment Activity 1.1

Using the five step process, develop an algorithm for the following problem:

You need to know the cost of sending a parcel to someone.the price of sending the item will depend upon its weight. The postal service has a standard charge per kilo of item weight.

Publish your findings and the resulting algorithm from the five-step process to your
assessment document.

Step One: Define the problem

Find out the parcels weight and the standard postal service charge in order to find out what the cost is to send the parcel.

Step Two: Define the inputs

The parcels weight
The postal service charge

Step Three: Define the outputs

The cost of the parcel

Step Four: Define processing

Get the parcels weight
Get the standard charge
Multiply the parcels weight by the standard charge

Step Five: Develop the algorithm

Calculate the cost of the parcel

Prompt the user for the parcel weight
Get the parcel weight
Prompt the user for the standard charge
Get the standard charge
Parcel weight x Standard charge
Display the cost of the parcel

End