is the best way to represent the solution of a particular problem in a very simple and efficient way. If we have an algorithm for a specific problem, then we can implement it in any programming language, meaning that the algorithm is independent from any programming languages. Algorithm Design The important aspects of algorithm design include creating an efficient algorithm to solve a problem in an efficient way using minimum time and space. To solve a problem, different approaches can be followed. Some of them can be efficient with respect to time consumption, whereas other approaches may be memory efficient. However, one has to keep in mind that both time consumption and memory usage cannot be optimized simultaneously. If we require an algorithm to run in lesser time, we have to invest in more memory and if we require an algorithm to run with lesser memory, we need to have more time. Problem Development Steps The following steps are involved in solving computational problems. Problem definition Development of a model Specification of an Algorithm Designing an Algorithm Checking the correctness of an Algorithm Analysis of an Algorithm Implementation of an Algorithm Program testing Documentation Characteristics of Algorithms The main characteristics of algorithms are as follows − Algorithms must have a unique name Algorithms should have explicitly defined set of inputs and outputs Algorithms are well-ordered with unambiguous operations Algorithms halt in a finite amount of time. Algorithms should not run for infinity, i.e., an algorithm must end at some point Pseudocode Pseudocode gives a high-level description of an algorithm without the ambiguity associated with plain text but also without the need to know the syntax of a particular programming language. The running time can be estimated in a more general manner by using Pseudocode to represent the algorithm as a set of fundamental operations which can then be counted.