Stepwise Refinement and Pseudo-Codes: An Introduction

Abstract

This note is meant to give an introduction to stepwise refinement as a method of describing/developing an algorithm, which can be later converted to a computer program in a procedural language like BASIC, FORTRAN, or PASCAL. In developing an algorithm in this strategy, using an informal language is convenient. Because of this the note also introduces pseudo-code concepts. There are four sections in the note: 1) What is computer programming, 2) Steps in developing a program, 3) Pseudo-code constructs, and 4) Stepwise refinement: An example. Each concept and point is illustrated through examples.