Computer Programming

Conditionals and Iterations

Eyob S.

SITE, AAiT

April 23, 2025

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Table of Contents

1 Algorithm

2 Boolean Expressions

3 Types of Program Execution

4 Conditionals

5 Iterations

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Algorithm

Algorithm

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What is an Algorithm?

An algorithm is a set of well-defined instructions that, when followed

step-by-step, solves a specific problem or accomplishes a task.

It provides a clear and concise recipe for achieving a desired outcome.

Key characteristics of algorithms: Finiteness, Unambiguity, Effective-

ness, Generality

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What is an Algorithm? (continued...

Finiteness: The algorithm has a finite number of steps.

Unambiguity: Each step has a clear and unambiguous meaning.

Effectiveness: The algorithm can be followed to complete the task

in a finite amount of time.

Generality: The algorithm can be applied to a range of inputs within

the intended problem domain.

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Algorithm Representation: Natural Language

Describing an algorithm in natural language uses plain, everyday

language.

It is the least formal representation and is intended for easy understand-

ing by non-technical audiences.

Exercise: Write an algorithm to find the Maximum Number in a List

using Natural Language.

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Example

1. Start by assuming the first number in the list is the largest.

2. Look at each number in the list one by one.

3. If you find a number that is larger than your current largest number,
update the largest number.

4. After checking all the numbers, the current largest number is the
maximum.

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Algorithm Representation: Pseudocode

Pseudocode: is a high-level description of an algorithm using the

structural conventions of programming languages.

It focuses on the algorithm’s logic without delving into language-specific

syntax.

Pseudocode is easy to read and understand, making it a good bridge

between human logic and programming code.

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Example

Algorithm FindMax(A)
1. max_value := A[0]
2. for each element num in A do
3. if num > max_value then
4. max_value := num
5. return max_value

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Algorithm Representation: Flowchart

A flowchart is a graphical representation of an algorithm.

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Algorithm Practice Questions

Write an algorithm that will solve the following problems using a flowchart.

1. Determine if a given number is even or odd.

2. Check if a given number is a prime number.

3. Find the sum of all numbers in a given list.

4. Calculate the factorial of a given number

5. Find the maximum number in a given list of numbers.

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Algorithm Practice Questions

Write an algorithm that will solve the following problems using a flowchart.

6. Generate the first n numbers in the Fibonacci sequence.

7. Reverse a given string.

8. Find the GCD of two given numbers using Euclid’s algorithm.

9. Calculate the average of numbers in a given list.

10. Count the number of vowels in a given string.

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Assignment

Write an algorithm that will solve the following problems using a flowchart.

1. Convert a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

2. Check if a given string is a palindrome.

3. Calculate the power of a number given the base and exponent.

4. Find the smallest number in a given list of numbers.

5. Count the number of consonants in a given string.

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Boolean Expressions

Boolean Expressions

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Boolean Expressions

A boolean expression is an expression that is either true or false.

True and False are special values that belong to the type bool; they
are not strings:

type(True), type(False)

Some languages use 0 or 1, Others have a data type

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Comparison Operators in Python

Operator Description Example

== Equal to x == y
!= Not equal to x != y
> Greater than x > y
< Less than x < y
>= Greater than or equal to x >= y
<= Less than or equal to x <= y
Table: Comparison Operators

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Logical Operators in Python

Operator Description Example

and Logical AND x and y
or Logical OR x or y
not Logical NOT not x
Table: Logical Operators

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Operator Precedence in Python

Precedence Operator
1 **
2 +x, -x, ~x
3 *, /, //, %
4 +, -
5 ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=
6 not
7 and
8 or
Table: Operator Precedence in Python

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Examples

2 < 3 ⇒ ???

7 - 1 >= 2 * 3 ⇒ ???

3 == 4 + 4 ⇒ ???

2 != 3 ⇒ ???

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Truth Table for Logical Operators

A B A or B A and B
A not A true true true true
true false true false true false
false true false true true false
false false false false
Table: Truth Table for Logical Operators

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Examples

2 < 3 and 4 > 5 ⇒ ???

2 < 3 and True ⇒ ???

False or True and False ⇒ ???

3 >= -1 or 8*2 > 2**4 and 9 !=3 ⇒ ???

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Examples

-2**2 ⇒ ???

4 % 2 == 0 ⇒ ???

4 % 3 == 1 ⇒ ???

0 and False ⇒ ???

0 and True ⇒ ???

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Examples

1 and True ⇒ ???

1 and False ⇒ ???

5 and True ⇒ ???

5 and False ⇒ ???

0 or True ⇒ ???

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Examples

0 or False ⇒ ???

1 or True ⇒ ???

1 or False ⇒ ???

4 or False ⇒ ???

4 or True ⇒ ???

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Examples

1 == True ⇒ ???

2 == True ⇒ ???

-1 == True ⇒ ???

0 == False ⇒ ???

-0 == False ⇒ ???

1 == False ⇒ ???

5 == False ⇒ ???

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Types of Program Execution

Types of Program Execution

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Types of Program Execution

There are three main types of program execution:

Sequential

Branching (Conditional)

Repetition (Looping)

Understanding these types helps in structuring and writing efficient

programs.

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Sequential Execution

In sequential execution, statements are executed one after another in

the order they appear.

Each statement is executed exactly once.

Example:
x = 5
y = 10
z = x + y
print(z)

The output of the above code will be 15.

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Branching

Branching allows the program to make decisions and execute different

code paths based on conditions.

Uses conditional statements like ‘if‘, ‘else if‘, and ‘else‘.

Example:
if x > y:
print("x is greater than y")
elif x < y:
print("x is less than y")
else:
print("x is equal to y")

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Repetition

Repetition allows the program to execute a block of code multiple

times.

Uses loops like ‘for‘ and ‘while‘.

Example:
for i in range(5):
print(i)

This will print numbers 0 to 4.

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Conditionals

Conditionals

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Conditional Statements

Conditional statements allow the program to make decisions based on

certain conditions.

Basic syntax uses ‘if‘, ‘elif‘, and ‘else‘.

if condition:
# execute this block if the condition is true

if condition:
# execute this block if condition is true
else:
# execute this block if condition is false

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Practice Questions

1. Check if a number is positive.

2. Check if a first number is divisible by a second number.

3. Determine if a character in a string is a vowel.

4. Check if a number is even or odd.

5. Determine if a person is eligible to vote (age 18 or older).

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Chained Conditionals

Chained conditionals use multiple ‘if‘, ‘elif‘, and ‘else‘ statements to

handle multiple conditions.

if x > y:
print("x is greater than y")
elif x < y:
print("x is less than y")
else:
print("x is equal to y")

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Practice Questions

1. Classify a number as positive, negative, or zero.

2. Determine the grade of a student based on their score:

A for 90-100
B for 80-89
C for 70-79
D for 60-69
F for below 60

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Nested Conditionals

Nested conditionals are conditionals within other conditionals.

Useful for complex decision-making.

Indentation is important to maintain clarity and correctness.

if x > 0:
if x > y:
print("x is positive & greater than y")
else:
print("x is positive & less than or equal to y")
else:
print("x is not positive")

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Practice Questions

1. Write a program to determine if a given year is a leap year.

Hint: A year is a leap year if the year is divisible by 4. However, if
the year is divisible by 100, it is not a leap year unless the year is
also divisible by 400.

2. Check if a point (x, y ) lies in the first, second, third, or fourth

quadrant of a coordinate system.

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Common Errors

if((Value > 0) or (Value <= 10)):

print(Value)

if((Value > 0) and (Value <= 10)):

print(Value)

if((Value < 0) and (Value > 10)):

print(Value)

if((1.11 - 1.10) == (2.11 - 2.10)):

print('done')

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Iterations

Iterations

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Iterations in Programming

Iterations allow the execution of a block of code multiple times.

There are different types of loops used for iteration:

For Loops

While Loops

Nested Loops

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For Loops

For loops are used to iterate over a sequence (e.g., list, tuple, range,
string).

Syntax:

for variable in sequence:

# execute this block

Example:
for i in range(5):
print(i)

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While Loops

While loops are used to execute a block of code as long as a condition

is true.

Syntax:

while condition:
# execute this block

Example:
count = 0
while count < 5:
print(count)
count += 1

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Nested Loops

Nested loops are loops within loops.

Each time the outer loop is executed, the inner loop runs to completion.

Example:
for i in range(3):
for j in range(2):
print(i, j)

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Practice Questions: For Loops

1. Print the first 10 natural numbers.

2. Calculate the sum of all elements in a list.

3. Print each character of a string on a new line.

4. Find the factorial of a given number.

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Practice Questions: While Loops

1. Print numbers from 1 to 10 using a while loop.

2. Keep accepting user input until they enter ’exit’.

3. Calculate the sum of digits of a given number.

4. Find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of two numbers.

5. Simulate a countdown from 10 to 0.

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Practice Questions: Nested Loops

Print a 5x5 multiplication table.

Print the following pattern:

*
**
***
****
*****
******

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Break Statement

The ‘break‘ statement is used to exit a loop prematurely.

It can be used in both ‘for‘ and ‘while‘ loops.

for i in range(10):
if i == 5:
break
print(i)

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Continue Statement

The ‘continue‘ statement skips the current iteration of a loop and

moves to the next iteration.

It can be used in both ‘for‘ and ‘while‘ loops.

for i in range(10):
if i % 2 == 0:
continue
print(i)

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Pass Statement

The ‘pass‘ statement is a null operation; nothing happens when it

executes.

It is used as a placeholder in loops, functions, classes, or conditionals.

for i in range(10):
if i % 2 == 0:
pass # Placeholder for future code
else:
print(i)

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Infinite Loops

An infinite loop runs indefinitely because the terminating condition is

never met.

Use with caution to avoid unintentional infinite execution.

while True:
print("This is an infinite loop")
# Use break statement to exit the loop

Press ‘Ctrl+C‘ to stop the execution manually.

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Unintentional Infinite Loops

x = 10
while(x > 0):
x += 1

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Off-By-One Error

An Off-By-One Error (OBOE) occurs when an iterative loop iterates

one more time or one less time.

Commonly occurs in loops when the loop counter or index is off by

one.

Often happens in:

Array indexing
Loop boundaries (e.g., starting at 0 instead of 1 or vice versa)
Calculating lengths (e.g., forgetting to include or exclude the last
element)

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Off-By-One Error

# Incorrect loop
for i in range(1, 11):
print(i)

# Correct loop
for i in range(10):
print(i)

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Sentinel Loop

A Sentinel Loop continues to process data until a special value, known

as a sentinel value, is encountered.

The sentinel value is not a valid data value but is used to signal the
end of the loop.

Commonly used in scenarios where the number of iterations is not

known in advance.

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Sentinel Loop

sentinel = -1
number = 0
sum = 0

while number != sentinel:

number = int(input("Enter a number (-1 to stop): "))
if number != sentinel:
sum += number

print(f"Sum of numbers: {sum}")

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END

Thank You!!!

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