Developing problem solving skills in programming is very important because the success of any task assigned to you depends on how accurately you define the problem to design and implement a solution. So in this article, I will tell you how to develop problem solving skills in programming.
Why do We Need to Have Problem Solving Skills?
In programming, problem solving means the process of understanding a problem to design a solution for the identified problem and then implementing the solution by writing a program using a programming language to tell the computer how to deal with the identified problem.
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When we are assigned a task, the first step is to understand what problem we need to solve because when we write a program to design a solution, the computer gives us an output that is completely dependent on the input. So that the accuracy of the output given by our program depends entirely on the accuracy of the input provided by us.
So, to provide correct input and receive accurate output, it is very important to understand the problem and then design an algorithm to solve the problem. This is why we need to develop problem solving skills in programming.
How to Develop Problem Solving Skills in Programming?
So how do you develop problem solving skills in programming? Let’s understand by an example. Suppose you are driving and your car suddenly starts to make noise. So you might not know how to fix this kind of problem, but the first thing you will do is check where the noise is coming from and then take the car to the mechanic.
Then the mechanic will understand the problem with the car by analyzing the problem and understanding the source of the noise, then he will determine what to do and begin to make a plan on what he needs and how he will do it. In the end, he will start to implement the plan to fix the car.
So, from the example above, it is clear that to develop problem solving skills in programming, you need to go through a series of steps. Here are the steps to follow to resolve a problem:
- Analyze the problem
- Develop an algorithm
- Code
Now let’s go through all the steps mentioned above to understand how to develop problem solving skills in programming.
Analyze the Problem:
It is very important to understand the problem before designing a solution. If you don’t know what the problem is, you may end up writing a good program, but that won’t help solve the problem. So it is very important to read and analyze the problem statement to create a plan to solve the problem.
Thus, analyzing the problem will help determine what should be an input to the program that will give the correct output to resolve the problem.
Develop an Algorithm:
An algorithm is a set of instructions to follow to solve a problem. So after you understand the problem statement, it is very important to write a set of steps that you will take to solve this problem which is nothing but an algorithm.
You can think of an algorithm as the steps or procedure to complete a task. It’s good to create more than one algorithm to solve a problem so that you can pick the best one out of all the plans you have made to solve a problem.
Code:
So after selecting the best algorithm, you need to implement it using a programming language. When you have a set of instructions with you that you need to follow to solve a problem, trust me, it will help you with any complex problem.
The only thing to learn is that you need to master the fundamentals of the programming language you are using to solve the problem.
Summary
So to develop problem solving skills in programming you need to start by understanding the problem, then developing an algorithm and then start writing code by following the steps as per your algorithm. I hope you liked this article on how to develop problem solving skills in programming. Feel free to ask your valuable questions in the comments section below.
