Getting that Computer Science IA started: Problem Definition
Well hello there! So I see you've gotten this IA that you are wondering how on Earth you are going to start. Well, you've come to the right place for that little push-start you wanted.
This week, we'll be focusing on getting the Problem Definition done. First, you are going to need a syllabus. If you haven't already gotten one, CXC has made it available for free; visit the Resources section of the site and download it. Once you've had that, turn to page 28 where it introduces the different sections the IA is supposed to have and what you'll be assessed on. Pages 29 - 30 gives more in depth details on what is expected in each section.
First you will need to come up with (or find in the real world) a problem you will be either excited about completing or at least comfortable with. You however want to chose something that will allow you to utilize all the different programming knick-knacks such as functions, data structures, control structures (loops, conditional statements), input and output statements and files. This idea you come up with (or find in the real world) will be yourproblem definition. This is the very first thing to be tackled in your IA. The problem definition should seek to give a complete and accurate description of what the problem is and what the intended solution should entail. It should include a brief history of the organization in the past tense (should it be a real world problem you are actually trying to solve), a thoroughly detailed albeit succinct description of the problem in the present tense, and a detailed description of the problem's solution in the future tense.
For a list of suggestions you could use as your problem definition and how you could go about doing it, visit the Problem Definition page on the website.
Go ahead and commence tackling this, as next week we will begin looking at how you can begin putting your proposed solution into an algorithm (one way or another). So get cracking!
