Question

Outline a technical process of your choosing (i.e. requirements analysis) Identify the rules for completing such process and translate them into first-order logic

Answer 1

Requirements analysis is the first stage in the systems engineering process and software
development process.

Requirements analysis in systems engineering and software engineering, encompasses those tasks that go into determining the needs or conditions to meet for a new or altered product, taking account of the possibly conflicting requirements of the various stakeholders, such as beneficiaries or users.

Conceptually, requirements analysis includes three types of activity:

1.Eliciting requirements: the task of communicating with customers and users to determine what their requirements are. This is sometimes also called requirements gathering.

2.Analyzing requirements: determining whether the stated requirements are unclear, incomplete, ambiguous, or contradictory, and then resolving these issues.

3.Recording requirements: Requirements might be documented in various forms,such as natural-language documents, use cases, user stories, or process specifications.

Every problem solution starts with a plan. That plan is called an algorithm.

There are many ways to write an algorithm. Some are very informal, some are quite formal and mathematical in nature, and some are quite graphical. The instructions for connecting a DVD player to a television are an algorithm. A mathematical formula such as ?R2 is a special case of an algorithm. The form is not particularly important as long as it provides a good way to describe and check the logic of the plan.

The development of an algorithm (a plan) is a key step in solving a problem. Once we have an algorithm, we can translate it into a computer program in some programming language. Our algorithm development process consists of five major steps.

Step 1: Obtain a description of the problem.

Step 2: Analyze the problem.

Step 3: Develop a high-level algorithm.

Step 4: Refine the algorithm by adding more detail.

Step 5: Review the algorithm.

Step 1: Obtain a description of the problem.

This step is much more difficult than it appears. In the following discussion, the word client refers to someone who wants to find a solution to a problem, and the word developer refers to someone who finds a way to solve the problem. The developer must create an algorithm that will solve the client's problem.

Step 2: Analyze the problem.

The purpose of this step is to determine both the starting and ending points for solving the problem. This process is analogous to a mathematician determining what is given and what must be proven. A good problem description makes it easier to perform this step.

When determining the starting point, we should start by seeking answers to the following questions:

• What data are available?

• Where is that data?

• What formulas pertain to the problem?

• What rules exist for working with the data?

• What relationships exist among the data values?

Step 3: Develop a high-level algorithm.

An algorithm is a plan for solving a problem, but plans come in several levels of detail. It's usually better to start with a high-level algorithm that includes the major part of a solution, but leaves the details until later. We can use an everyday example to demonstrate a high-level algorithm.

Problem: I need a send a birthday card to my brother, Mark.

Analysis: I don't have a card. I prefer to buy a card rather than make one myself.

High-level algorithm:

Go to a store that sells greeting cards
Select a card
Purchase a card
Mail the card

Step 4: Refine the algorithm by adding more detail.

When our goal is to develop algorithms that will lead to computer programs, we need to consider the capabilities of the computer and provide enough detail so that someone else could use our algorithm to write a computer program that follows the steps in our algorithm. As with the birthday card problem, we need to adjust the level of detail to match the ability of the programmer. When in doubt, or when you are learning, it is better to have too much detail than to have too little.

Step 5: Review the algorithm.

The final step is to review the algorithm. What are we looking for? First, we need to work through the algorithm step by step to determine whether or not it will solve the original problem. Once we are satisfied that the algorithm does provide a solution to the problem, we start to look for other things.

Example what revieing a algorithm does:

• Can this algorithm be simplified?

  One formula for computing the perimeter of a rectangle is: length + width + length + width

  A simpler formula would be: 2.0 * (length + width)