Usually an output Prompt instruction is required before an input Get instruction . The Prompt verb causes a message to be sent to the screen ,Which requires the user to respond , usually by providing input – for example :
Prompt for student_mark
Get student _mark
3 A computer Can perform arithmetic
Most programs require the computer to perform some sort of mathematical calculation , or formula , and for these , a programmer may use either actual mathematical symbols or the words for those symbols . For instance,the same pseudocode instruction can be expressed as either of the following :
Add number to total
Total = total+number
Both expressions clearly instruct the computer to add one value to another , so either is acceptable in pseudocode . The equal symbol ‘=’ has been used to indicate assignment of a value as a result of some processing.
To be consistent with high-level programming languages,the following symbols can be written in pseudocode :
+ for Add
- for Subtract
* for Multiply
/ for Divide
() for Pasentheses
The verbs Compute and Calculate are also available . Some pseudocode examples to perform a calculation are :
Divide total_marks by student_count
Sales_tax = cost_price*0.10
Compute C =(F-32)*5/9
When writing mathematical calculations for the computer , standard mathematical ‘order of operations’ applies to pseudocode and most computer languages. The first operation carried out will be any calculation contrined within parentheses . Next , any multiplication or division, as it occurs from left to right,will be performed . Then,any addition or subtraction , as it occurs from left to right , will be performed .