1. Correcting Algorithms

An essential skill to learn as a computer programmer is the ability to spot mistakes in a program.

This process of spotting and correcting mistakes is called 'debugging'.

This section has been written assuming that your algorithm is described using pseudocode, but most of the techniques will work equally well if you have used a flowchart.

Pseudocode algorithms are read from top to bottom, with one statement per line. The first step to correcting an algorithm is to read it through carefully and understand what each statement is meant to be doing.

Only once you understand what the code is meant to be doing can you move forward to correcting it.