• Laying the Groundwork

  • 1 The Big Picture

• The Information Layer

  • 2 Binary Values and Number Systems

  • 3 Data Representation

• The Hardware Layer

  • 4 Gates and Circuits

  • 5 Computing Components

• The Programming Layer

  • 6 Low-Level Programming Languages and Pseudocode

  • 7 Problem Solving and Algorithms

  • 8 Abstract Data Types and Subprograms

  • 9 Object-Oriented Design and High-Level Programming Languages

• The Operating Systems Layer

  • 10 Operating Systems

  • 11 File Systems and Directories

• The Applications Layer

  • 12 Information Systems

  • 13 Artificial Intelligence

  • 14 Simulation, Graphics, Gaming, and Other Applications

• The Communications Layer

  • 15 Networks

  • 16 The World Wide Web

  • 17 Computer Security

• In Conclusion

  • 18 Limitations of Computing

In Chapter 6, we looked at machine code, which uses binary numbers to represent operations, and assembly language, which uses mnemonics to represent operations. Assembly languages are a step in the right direction, but the programmer still must think in terms of individual machine instructions. We also introduced pseudocode, an artificial language designed for expressing algorithms. We begin this chapter with a brief discussion of problem solving in general.

Computer science is sometimes defined as “the study of algorithms and their efficient implementation in a computer.” The focus of this chapter is on algorithms: their role in problem solving, strategies for developing them, techniques for following and testing them. We choose classic searching and sorting algorithms as the context for the discussion on algorithms.

Because algorithms operate on data, we examine ways to structure data so that it can be more efficiently processed.