Pseudocode vs Algorithm

Difference Between Pseudocode vs Algorithm

Pseudocode is defined as code or block of statements in which the computer program is written in readable format for any user or developer which can be said that pseudocode is a code almost written in the English language which is very easy to read and understand the code. Whereas, Algorithm is defined as step by step explanation of the computer program which is written in systematic logical procedure to resolve the problem given where the given algorithm is a sequence of the steps of solving the problem of a computer program which has specific plain text which is sometimes difficult to understand for both user and developer.

Head to Head Comparison between Pseudocode vs Algorithm (Infographics)

Below are the top 10 differences between pseudocode vs algorithm:

Key Differences between Pseudocode vs Algorithm

Some of the key differences between the Pseudocode vs Algorithm are given below:

Simpler to Understand: The main difference between the pseudocode and algorithm is that understanding and reading the pseudocode is very easy when compared to algorithms. As pseudocode is usually written in simple English language and it is not considered as any programming language it makes developers or users understand and debug the pseudocode logics and algorithms are usually constructed with a high-level description of logical code which includes code blocks and makes users or developers bit difficult to understand.

Example #1

Let us take an example to calculate the area of a circle with a given radius to write pseudocode and algorithm.

Code:

AreaofCircle()
{
BEGIN
Read: Number radius, Area;
Input r;
Area = 3.14 * r * r;
Output Area;
END
}

Steps:

1. Start.
2. Read the radius value r as the input given by the user.
3. Calculate the area as Area: 3.14 * r * r.
4. Display the Area.
5. End.

Construction and Debugging: Pseudocode is a plain human-readable format which is known as the method of writing algorithm also which also includes natural language such as English language and is combined with high-level programming statements for constructing the pseudocode and as it is easier to understand and interpret this pseudocode hence it can be easily constructed and also it is very easy for the developers to debug related to the given program logic. Whereas Algorithm is the one that follows the sequence method in writing the procedure of solving the given problem or the logic of the program as it involves high-level programming language for constructing the algorithm which makes the nontechnical users difficult to understand the algorithm and also it is very difficult for debugging. Therefore, pseudocode is easy for constructing and debugging than an algorithm.

Pseudocode vs Algorithm Comparison Table

Comparison between pseudocode vs algorithm is given below:

S. NO	Pseudocode	Algorithm
1	It is the method used for writing the computer program in easy ad readable format or in the English language to make it the user or developer easier to understand the logic for further problem resolution.	It is another method of describing the computer program in a readable ad understandable with the sequence of steps written to follow while writing the code.
2	It is said to be the representation of the algorithm as it is simpler to read and understand than the algorithm.	It is said to be the sequence of steps of explanation for the code with logical steps that makes it easier but a bit difficult to understand than pseudocode.
3	It is one of the simpler methods or versions for writing code in any programming language.	It is one of the systematic and logical methods or versions for writing code in any programming language.
4	Pseudocode is not a programming language and is written in simple English and hence it is easy to understand and read.	Algorithms use natural languages ad flowcharts for representing any code and hence it is easy to read but difficult in understanding the algorithm.
5	Pseudocode can be considered a method for describing the program into high-level description with the operating principle of any computer program or algorithm.	The algorithm is considered to be an unambiguous method of describing the code for which it specifies how to solve the problem.
6	Pseudocode uses simple English language or phrases as there is no particular syntax followed to write ay pseudocode as it is the method.	The algorithm uses high-level constructs such as code snippets which may sometimes make it difficult for interpreting and understanding.
7	Pseudocode is quite easier to construct because it is written in easy understanding English language and hence pseudocode is also simpler for debugging.	The algorithm is quite complex when constructing as it sometimes involves code snippets in it and hence it is a bit difficult when it comes to debugging.
8	Pseudocodes are not used in any complicated programming languages as algorithms because it is widely used when the combination of programming and simple natural languages is required for constructing the pseudocode.	Algorithms can be used in any complex programming language as it uses simple logical code snippets sometimes which is more than natural language as used in Pseudocode constructions.
9	The pseudocode also uses few specific words or phrases or special symbols to differentiate it from the algorithm, though pseudocodes can be considered as a method of writing algorithms. It includes a forward slash for beginning comments, uses flower braces for including logical blocks, it also uses some operators to specify the logic of the code.	The algorithm is written using some specific criteria such as it includes input statement, output statement, also includes with effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm code written for a particular program, clear statements which are free from ambiguity, also includes certain or proper conditions to be displayed for correctly terminating after few steps when required in the code, and sometimes small logical codes can also be written to specify some logic directly.
10	Pseudocode cannot be considered algorithms.	Algorithms can be considered as pseudocode.

Conclusion

In this article, we conclude that there is no much difference between pseudocode and algorithm as both are related to writing the blueprint of any computer programs. But the main difference is that pseudocode helps us to easily understand and is also readable when compared to algorithms that use high-level description for logic construction and also make a bit difficult to debug.

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