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Margaret needs to keep track of how much money she makes - Edexcel - GCSE Computer Science - Question 4 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 4
Margaret needs to keep track of how much money she makes. She collects the sales figures on a weekly basis. (a) The pseudocode of an algorithm is shown. w = 0 REPE... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Margaret needs to keep track of how much money she makes - Edexcel - GCSE Computer Science - Question 4 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Discuss the suitability of this code for humans
Answer
The provided pseudocode is simplistic and may not be suitable for humans to read and understand easily. It lacks clarity and proper comments, which makes it difficult for someone unfamiliar with programming concepts to grasp the flow of the algorithm. The use of the variable 'w' without context does not convey its purpose effectively. In addition, there is no indication of what is being displayed, which adds to the confusion.
Moreover, the structure lacks the typical conventions seen in many programming languages, such as indentation and descriptive variable names, which further detracts from its readability.
Step 2
How it could be improved
Answer
To enhance the readability and understanding of the pseudocode for humans, the following improvements could be made:
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Use Descriptive Variable Names: Renaming the variable 'w' to something more meaningful, like 'weekCounter', can help clarify its purpose.
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Add Comments: Including comments that describe the action occurring at each step would be beneficial. For example:
SET weekCounter TO 0 // Initialize the week counter REPEAT SET weekCounter TO weekCounter + 1 // Increment the counter by 1 SEND weekCounter TO DISPLAY // Display the current week UNTIL weekCounter = 52 // Continue until all weeks are displayed -
Indentation and Structuring: Aligning and indenting the code appropriately would enhance its visual clarity, making it easier for readers to follow the logic.
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Use of Space: Additional white space could be added to separate logical parts of the code, thus improving readability.
By implementing these changes, the pseudocode would become more accessible and easier for humans to interpret.