Thursday, 19 April 2018

SS2 COMPUTER STUDIES (THIRD TERM) 2017/18 SESSION

SCHEME OF WORK FOR THIRD TERM

WEEK

TOPIC

· REVIEW OF 2ND TERM EXAM QUESTION

· WRITING THE SCHEME OF WORK

2-4

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

· Definition of program

· Characteristics of a good program

· Steps in program development

· Description of the steps in program development

· Compilation and interpretation of program

· How compiler and interpreter works

5-6

ALGORITHM AND FLOWCHART

· Definitions of algorithm and flowchart

· Functions of algorithm

· Characteristics of algorithm

· Writing algorithm for problem solving

· Flowchart symbols and their uses

7-8

INTERNET

· Definition of internet

· Definition of terms – browse, browser, chat room, cyber café, download, home page, e-mail, html,
http, internet service provider etc.

· Internet services – e-mail, search engine, telnet, ftp, www etc

· Benefits of the internet

· Problems of the internet

TOPIC ONE: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Meaning of a Program

A computer program is a general term used to describe the set of instructions that the computer use to
performs a specific task. A computer program is usually written by a computer programmer using a
programming language.

Characteristics of a Good Program

A good computer program should have following characteristics:

Portability: Portability refers to the ability of an application to run on different platforms (operating
systems) with or without minimal changes.

Readability: The program should be written in such a way that it makes other programmers or users to
follow the logic of the program without much effort.
Efficiency: Every program requires certain processing time and memory to process the instructions and
data. A program should be laid out in such a manner that it utilizes the least amount of memory and
processing time.

Structural: To develop a program, the task must be broken down into a number of subtasks which are
developed independently, and each subtask is able to perform the assigned job without the help of any
other subtask. If a program is developed structurally, it becomes more readable, and the testing and
documentation process also gets easier.

Flexibility: A good program should allow changes without having to rewrite the entire program. Most
programs are developed for a certain period and they require modifications from time to time.

Accuracy/Correctness: Accuracy ensures that the program does what it is meant to do according to the
design specification.

Generality: Generality means that if a program is developed for a particular task, then it should also be
used for all similar tasks of the same domain. For example, if a program is developed for a particular
organization, then it should suit all the other similar organizations.

Maintainability: Maintainability is the ease with which changes can be made to the program to satisfy
new requirements. Maintainability allows the program to be upgraded or revised when the need arises.

Reusability: Reusability is the ease with which a program can be reused in developing other program. By
reusing existing program, developers can create more complex program in a shorter amount of time.

Clarity: The program should be clear enough to be understood by others.

Security: This ensures that the software protects the information it is responsible for.

User-friendliness: It ensures that the program is easy to use by the intended users. It should have a
sensitive user interface that will enable the user to interact with the program without any difficulty.

Robustness: The program should be provided with the mechanism to respond to unexpected
conditions, e.g., if wrong input is entered into it.

Steps In Program Development

Before coding of a good program, there must be a proper planning and steps on how the problem or
program will be stored.

The steps include the following:

1. Problem definition

2. Problem analysis
3. Algorithm/Flowcharting

4. Desk checking

5. Program coding

6. Program compilation

7. Program testing and debugging

8. Program documentation.

Problem Definition: Entails defining and understanding the problem statement and deciding the
boundaries of the problem. In this phase we need to understand the problem statement, what is our
requirement, what should be the output of the problem solution? These are defined in this first phase of
the program development life cycle.

Problem Analysis: The requirements like variables, functions, or resources to solve the problem are
gathered.

Algorithm/Flowcharting: During this phase, a step by step procedure to solve the problem using the
specification given in the previous phase is developed.

Desk checking: This involves manual checking of the logic of a program for correctness

Coding: This phase involves using a programming language to write or implement actual
programming instructions for the steps defined in the previous phase. In this phase, we construct actual
program. That means we write the program to solve the given problem using programming languages
like C, C++, Java etc.,

Program compilation: Compilation is the process whereby the source program (program written in
other language different from machine language), is translated into machine readable code. A compiler
does the job of compilation.

Testing & Debugging: During this phase, we check whether the code written in previous step is
solving the specified problem or not, i.e. check whether input data will provide desired output or not.

Maintenance: During this phase, the program is actively used by the users. If the user encounters any
problem or wants any enhancement, then we need to repeat all the phases from the starting, so that
the encountered problem is solved or enhancement is added.

Documentation: Program documentation includes hard-copy or electronic manuals that enable

A compiler translates the entire program (source code/program) written in a high level language into an
intermediate form called (object code/program), which can be directly executed by the machine. On
the other hand, an interpreter does not produce an object code but translate the source program line by
line directly into machine language.

Examples of compiled programs languages are: C, C++, C#, Ada, ALGOL, Java, COBOL, Visual Basic, Lisp,
FORTRAN, Pascal

Examples of interpreted languages are: QBASIC, JavaScript, PHP, ASP, APL

How a compiler works

The brain of the compiler is the parser. It knows the syntax (rule) of the source language or the
grammatical rules that determine how the source statements are written. Whenever the parser needs
more of the source program statements to work on, it calls upon the scanner. The scanner reads in the
source program statement and breaks it into a sequence of tokens – words, numbers, identifiers,
operators etc. It hands them one at a time to the parser whenever the parser calls for the next one.

The parser also knows the semantics (meaning) of the source language. The parser’s knowledge of the
semantics enables it to call the code generator to produce the object code, which performs the
operation specified by the instruction. This continues until the entire program has been read in and
translated.

How an interpreter works

Just like the compiler, an interpreter also has a parser that controls it. Its scanner does the same job as
that of the compiler. However, an interpreter has an executor instead of the code generator.

TOPIC TWO: ALGORITHM AND FLOWCHART

Algorithm can also be defined as a procedure consisting of a series of steps which specify a sequence of
operations that provides the solution to a problem.
An algorithm is a finite set of an instruction that specifies a sequence of operations to be carried out in
order to solve a specific problem. It is a detailed sequence of simple steps that are needed to solve a
problem.

Pseudocode is a detailed yet readable description of an algorithm, expressed in a formally-styled natural

A flowchart is a pictorial representation of an algorithm in which the steps are drawn in the form of
different shapes of boxes and the logical flow is indicated by interconnecting arrows.The boxes
represent operations and the arrows represent the sequence in which the operations are implemented.

A flowchart is a diagrammatical representation of an algorithm.

Functions of algorithm

It provides a step-by-step solution to a problem

It is used to prove that a problem has a solution

It is used to give a sense of direction to the steps of solving a problem

It may also be used to show that a problem does not have a solution

Characteristics of an algorithm

Finiteness: it specifies an exact number of steps to be taken and has an end

Absence of ambiguity: it shows that every instruction is clearly and precisely specified

Sequence of execution: it shows how the instructions are performed from top to bottom

Effectiveness: it ensures that the solution prescribed is guaranteed to give a correct answer and that
the specified process is faithfully carried out.

Input and output: these defines the unknowns of the problem specified and the expected output

Scope definition: it specifies precisely the problem or class of problem

Independence: algorithm is language independent

ALGORITHM Examples

Example 1: Calculate the Interest of a Bank Deposit

Algorithm:
Step 1: Start

Step 2: Read amount,

Step 3: Read years,

Step 4: Read rate,

Step 5: Calculate the interest with formula “Interest=Amount*Years*Rate/100

Step 6: Print interest

Step 7: Stop

Example 2: Algorithm to Determine and Output Whether Number N is Even or Odd

Algorithm:

Step 1: Start

Step 2: Read number N,

Step 3: Set remainder as N modulo (divide) 2,

Step 4: If remainder is equal to 0 then number N is even, else number N is odd,

Step 5: Print output.

Step 6: Stop

Example 3: Algorithm to Print 1 to 20:

Algorithm:

Step 1: Start

Step 2: Initialize X as 0,

Step 3: Increment X by 1,

Step 4: Print X,

Step 5: If X is less than 20 then go back to step 2.

Step 6: Stop
Flowchart symbols, name and uses

Below are the corresponding flowcharts

Flowchart for example 1: Calculate the Interest of a Bank Deposit

Flowchart for example 2: Determine and Output Whether Number N is Even or Odd

Flowchart for example3: Print 1 to 20

TOPIC THREE: INTERNET

The Internet is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol
suite (TCP/IP) to link billions of devices worldwide. It is an international network for communication,
where millions of computers are connected together. It is the largest computer network in the world.

Definition of some basic terms

Home page: is an introductory page of a website, typically serving as a table of contents for the site. It is
an initial page or point of entry to all information stored within.

Web page: is a single page of information on a website.

Website: is a collection of related web pages (document that are accessed through the internet),
typically identified with a common web address or domain name or URL (Uniform Resource Locator),
published on at least one web server. Examples are https://google.com, https://isi.ui.edu.ng,
https://facebook.com etc.

HyperText Markup Language, commonly referred to as HTML, is the standard markup language used to
create web pages. Web browsers can read HTML files and render them into visible and audible web
pages.
A protocol can be defined as set of rules and regulations that determine how data is transmitted in
telecommunications and computer networking

HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP is the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP
defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers
should take in response to various commands.

Upload: this is the process of transferring files from a local computer to another (remote) computer on
the World Wide Web.

Cyber cafe: this is a place to use computer to access the internet, create document, chat with friends
using voice and video as well as a number of other computer related tasks.

Browser: A browser or a web browser is an application program with a graphical user interface for
displaying HTML files, used to navigate the World Wide Web. Technically, a Web browser is a client
program that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to make requests of Web servers throughout the
Internet on behalf of the browser user. Examples include Mozilla Firefox, Apple safari, Opera Mini,
Lynx , Flock, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, UC browser, Google Chrome, Microsoft
Edge etc.

Internet Service Provider (ISP): an organization that provides individuals and other companies’ access to
the internet. Examples include MTN, Airtel, 9mobile, Smile etc.

Internet services

· E-mail (Electronic mail): this is a message sent from one person to another, or many others through
the internet connected computers.

· Telnet is a user command and an underlying TCP/IP protocol for accessing remote computers.

· Usenet (Users network) is an early non-centralized computer network for the discussion of particular
topics and the sharing of files via newsgroups. Newsgroups are Internet discussion forums where groups
of users with common interests gather to talk about everything from software to comic books to politics.

· File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer computer files from
one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet.

· World Wide Web (WWW) is a network of online content that is formatted in HTML (connected by
hyperlinks and URL) and accessed via HTTP. A system of Internet servers that support specially
formatted documents. The documents are formatted in a markup language called HTML.

· Search engine: this is a computer program that retrieves documents or data from a database or
from a computer network (especially from the internet). It is an utility for finding information on the
internet.
Benefits of the internet

· It provides quick access to almost any kind of information

· It is a fast, cheap and effective means of communicating and exchanging information all over the
world

· E-commerce: buying and selling has been made possible through the internet

· Job opportunities such as graphic designing, blogging, freelance writing etc. have been made
possible

· It is an avenue for advertisement of goods and services

· Online training and seminar called WEBINARS are made possible

· Online degree/E-learning: the internet provides us the opportunity to learn and earn
degree/certificates by taking online classes.

· Online banking

Abuse of the internet

· Hacking: using the internet to gain unauthorized access to people’s computers

· Fraud: fraudulent activity involves any attempt to unlawfully obtain money from unsuspecting
users

· Copyright violation: someone’s electronic content can be copied without due reference or permission

· Virus distribution: internet users are prone to downloading virus and other malicious program when
downloading software/files from illegitimate website on the internet.

· Pornography: the internet is flooded with websites that are pornographic in nature

· Cyber bullying: using the internet to threaten and bully someone

· Spamming: sending unsolicited messages to individual or network groups through the internet.