C++ for Lazy Programmers: Quick, Easy, and Fun C++ for Beginners

© Will Briggs 2019

W. BriggsC++ for Lazy Programmershttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5187-4_6

6. Algorithms and the Development Process

Will Briggs¹ 

(1)

Lynchburg, VA, USA

 

Let’s step back from the details of C++ and think about something in the big picture: specifically, the need for thinking about the big picture. In the rest of life, doesn’t planning help? You wouldn’t build a house or cook a meal without a plan. (Heating soup in the microwave doesn’t count.)

In programming, the plan is called an algorithm: a sequence of steps, to be executed in order, that leads to a goal.

Adventures in robotic cooking

Imagine if we can get our computer to make biscuits: the fluffy kind – like scones, but not sweet (Figure 6-1). A computer can follow instructions, ...