Category Archives: 2. Software Development

2. Software Development, Computing Higher

Nested Fixed Loops

A nested fixed loop is a loop within a loop, that is iterated a fixed number of times.

This is written in pseudocode like this

  • For X = 1 to 10
    • For Y = 1 to 10
      • Display X & Y
    • Next Y
  • Next X

The program above will display

  • 1 1
  • 1 2
  • 1 3
  • ..
  • 2 1
  • 2 2
  • 2 3
  • ..
  • ..
  • 10 1
  • 10 2
  • 10 3
  • ..

Create the following programs

  1. Display a triangle of stars
  2. Display the first 10 times tables
  3. Display a number grid of the first 10 times tables

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2. Software Development, Computing Higher

Analysis – Input, Process, Output

Here are some fairly simple programs that will help you with the sequencing of programs.

Remember, Analysis will tell you

  • What the program needs to work (Input)
  • What the program needs to do (Process)
  • What the program will produce (Output)

Use Dia to design the programs below then implement them in VB2008EE

  1. Adds two numbers together and display the answer
  2. Multiplies two numbers together
  3. Calculates the area of a square field
  4. Calculates the area of a rectangular field
  5. Calculates the perimeter of a rectangular field
  6. Calculates the length of wire required to put a three stand fence round a rectangular field
  7. Calculates the volume of a cube, when the length is entered by the user (must use ^). Display the total surface area and volume of the cube.
2. Software Development, Computing Higher

ADITDEM

Today’s lesson was to show you that a complex program could be broken down into smaller and easier to manage pieces. The software development unit requires and lot of thought and pupils often find it difficult to solve the task they are give. The key is understanding the problem. We use the waterfall method, where one stage leads to the next one.

  1. Analysis
  2. Design
  3. Implementation
  4. Testing
  5. Documentation
  6. Evaluation
  7. Maintenance

You can remember it as “A Dance In The Dark Every Monday”.

Remember the unit is Software Development, not programming.

2. Software Development, Computing Higher, Revision

A question from a Pupil

Hi, I’m currently studying computing on Scholar and one of the answers to a question I disagree with. The question is “a program stores the user IDs of 20 SCHOLAR users. Which of the following would be the most efficient way of storing this information?” and the possible answers are:
  • 20 integer variables
  • an array of integers
  • an array of strings
  • 20 string variables
Scholar says the answer is an array of strings, but why? I thought the answer would be an array of integers, as to log into Scholar you just use numbers. Please explain why it is an array of strings ?

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