Discrete Mathematics

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Chapter

11

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DESIGN OF ALGORITHMS

11.1

INTRODUCTION

Basically, the word algorithm was applied to procedures

of

elementary arithmetic, such as long addition and

long multiplication. When we first learn the procedure for long addition in school,

we

do

not have

to

under-

stand the logical foundations

of

the procedure; all that is required is the ability

to

carry out the correct steps in

the correct order. In general, we

can

say that an algorithm

is

a sequence

of

instructions

or

it

is an effective

computational procedure, whereas procedure is a finite specification

of

step-by-step instructions.

A computational procedure is one that