Question

Pet World offers a \(15 \%\) discount to senior citizens, Write a pseudocode algorithm for a program that inputs the amount of a sale, then calculates and displays both the amount the customer saves and the amount they must pay.

Short answer

Answer: To calculate the discounted price and savings for a senior citizen at Pet World, follow these steps: 1. Input the amount of the purchase by the customer. 2. Calculate the discount amount by multiplying the purchase amount by 15% (0.15). 3. Find the final amount the customer must pay by subtracting the discount amount from the original purchase amount. 4. Display the discount savings and the final amount to be paid.

Step-by-step solution

Input the amount of sale

Request the user to input the amount of the purchase (inputSale). Store the input value in a variable called 'inputSale'.

Calculate the discount amount

Multiply 'inputSale' by 15% (0.15) to find the discount amount. Store the result in a variable called 'discountAmount'.

Calculate the amount the customer must pay

Subtract 'discountAmount' from 'inputSale' to find the final amount that the customer will pay. Store the result in a variable called 'finalSale'.

Display the results

Display the customer's discount savings by printing 'discountAmount' and display the final amount to be paid by printing 'finalSale'.

Key concepts

Programming Logic

The heart of any computer program lies in its logic. Programming logic involves the sequence of operations that are executed to solve a problem or automate a task, much like following a recipe when cooking. Pseudocode, which was used in this exercise, represents the logical steps for a program in human-readable format without adhering to the syntax of any specific programming language.

In this case, the task is to calculate a discount and final payment amount. The logic flows from capturing the user's input (the sale amount), performing calculations (calculating the discount and the final amount), and finally, outputting the results. This sequence reflects a clear start (input) and end (output) through a process (calculations), an essential aspect of programming logic. Understanding logic is crucial for problem-solving in coding and is fundamental in all programming tasks, from simple calculations to complex algorithms.

Discount Calculation

The concept of a discount calculation is a practical application often seen in commerce. In our example involving Pet World's discount to senior citizens, we calculate a discount as a percentage reduction on the original sale amount. It's a simple mathematical operation: multiplying the sale amount by the discount rate. Here, the pseudocode uses a 15% discount rate, which mathematically is represented as 0.15.

To translate this into pseudocode, follow these steps:

• Multiply the original sale amount by the discount percentage (15%, which is 0.15 in decimal form).
• Subtract the discount amount from the original sale amount to get the final price.

Understanding this process is not only helpful in programming but also in everyday life as discounts are commonly provided in various sales scenarios.

Variable Assignment

In programming, variable assignment is like having a labeled box where you can store a piece of information to be used and manipulated by the program. A variable can be assigned a value, such as a number or text, and that value can be changed as needed throughout the program's execution.

In the pseudocode provided for the discount calculation example, 'inputSale', 'discountAmount', and 'finalSale' are all variables. Each serves as a container for values at different stages:

• 'inputSale' holds the initial sale amount entered by the user.
• 'discountAmount' stores the calculated amount of discount.
• 'finalSale' captures the final sale amount after applying the discount.

Proper variable assignment is crucial for organizing data within a program and making code easier to understand and maintain.