Fundamental concept of problem solving

Introduction

Firstly we will discuss here Fundamental concept of Problem solving. Then This chapter gives the viewer/reader an overview of C language and tells about the structure of C program and various component of a C program. C language allows us to create custom data types. Problems are the undesirable situations that prevent any software from fully achieving its objectives. When we wish to transform the existing situation into a more desired one, problem occurs, and a need for solving the problem arises. Defining a problem clearly in terms of goals and objectives helps largely in problem solving. There are three related terms that need to be well understood to successfully solve the problem: 1. Mission: It is the broad statement of the purpose of the organization. 2. Goals: It is the general statement of what is to be accomplished. 3. Objectives: It is the statement of measurable results to be achieved in a specified time frame.

Problem solving strategies The most popular method of problem solving is to divide and conquer. This means that the problem has to be divided into smaller problems, each of which must be solved to get the complete solution. For instance, if it is required to find the second smallest element in an array, the problem could be divided into two parts viz. Arranging the elements in the array in ascending or descending order and then getting the second smallest element form the sorted array. This strategy is called divide and conquer. If you want to find the sum of the digits in a number, it can be divided into 3 parts: 1. Finding modulus of 10 i.e. finding the remainder when the number is divided by 10. 2. Adding the remainder to a sum whose initial value is zero. 3. Dividing the number by 10 and then repeating the process from (1) again till the quotient is zero.