Aqa Gcse Computing 8525 Algorithms Study Guide Rated A+

Decomposition {Ans: breaking a problem into a number of sub-problems.}Algorithm {Ans: A sequence of steps that can be followed to complete a task. Be aware that a computer program is an implementation of an algorithm and that an algorithm is not a computer program}Input {Ans: The data collected by a computer system.}Merge sort {Ans: Splits the list into individual components then merges it back together by comparing each pair of items and swapping if necessary. Complex algorithm. Efficient, especially with large lists.}Output {Ans: Communicating information to the user.}Binary search {Ans: Splits the list in half, determines which half the item is in and discards the other half. List MUST be in order. Reduces the size of the list by 2 with every comparison. Similar efficiency to linear search with small lists. Much more efficient with large lists.}Linear search {Ans: Search a list one by one, starting at the beginning. Simple algorithm. Less efficient the bigger the list gets.}Abstraction {Ans: the process of removing unnecessary detail from a problem.}Bubble sort {Ans: Compares each pair of data items and swaps if necessary, then moves onto the next pair. Returns to the start and