CLASS 9:
FLOWCHARTS – FOR LOOPS
ENGR 102 – Introduction to Engineering
2 for Loop
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop
3
We’ve seen that the number of while loop iterations is
not known ahead of time
May depend on inputs, for example
Sometimes we want a loop to execute an exact,
specified number of times
A for loop
Utilize a loop counter
Increment (or decrement) the counter on each iteration
Loop until the counter reaches a certain value
Can be thought of as a while loop with the addition of a
loop counter
But, a very distinct entity when implemented in code
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop
4
Initialize the loop counter
i, j, k are common, but name
does not matter
Set the range for i
Not necessary to define
variable istop
Execute loop instructions, A
Increment loop counter, i
Repeat until loop counter
reaches its stopping value
Continue on to B
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop
5
for loops are counted loops
Number of loop iterations is
known and is constant
Here loop executes 10 times
Stopping value not
necessarily hard-coded
Coulddepend on an input or
vector size, etc.
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop
6
Loop counter may start at
value other than 1
Increment size may be a
value other than 1
Loop counter may count
backwards
Iteration cntr Process
1 6 A
2 4 A
3 2 A
4 0 A
5 -2 A
6 -4 B
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop – Example 1
7
Here, the loop counter, i, is used
to update a variable, x, on each
iteration
Iteration i x
1 0 0
2 1 1
3 2 4
4 3 9
5 4 16
When loop terminates, and flow
proceeds to the next process
step, x = 16
A scalar
No record of previous values of x
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop – Example 2
8
Now, modify the loop process to store
values of x as a vector
Use loop counter to index the vector
i X[i] x
0 0 [0]
1 1 [0, 1]
2 4 [0, 1, 4]
3 9 [0, 1, 4, 9]
4 16 [0, 1, 4, 9, 16]
When loop terminates,
x = [0, 1, 4, 9, 16]
A vector
x grows with each iteration
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop – Example 3
9
The loop counter does not
need to be used within the
loop
Used as a counter only
Here, a random number is
generated and displayed
each of the 10 times through
the loop
Counter,i, has nothing to do
with the values of the
random numbers displayed
Webb ENGR 102
for Loop – Example 4
10
Have a vector of values, x
Find the mean of those
values
Sum all values in x
A for loop
# of iterations equal to the
length of x
Loop counter indexes x
Divide
the sum by the
number of elements in x
After exiting the loop
Webb ENGR 102
11 Nested Loops
Webb ENGR 102
Nested Loops
12
A loop repeats some process some number of times
The repeated process can, itself, be a loop
A nested loop
Can have nested for loops or while loops
Can nest for loops within while loops and vice versa
One application of a nested for loop is to step
through every element in a matrix
Loop counter variables used as matrix indices
Outer loop steps through rows (or columns)
Inner loop steps through columns (or rows)
Webb ENGR 102
Nested for Loop – Example
13
Recall how we index the elements within a matrix:
𝐴𝐴𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 is the element on the 𝑖𝑖 𝑡𝑡𝑡 row and 𝑗𝑗𝑡𝑡𝑡 column of the matrix 𝐴𝐴
Using Python syntax: A[i,j]
Consider a 3 × 2 matrix
−2 1
𝐵𝐵 = 0 8
7 −3
To access every element in 𝐵𝐵:
start on the first row and increment through all columns
Increment to the second row and increment through all columns
Continue through all rows
Two nested for loops
Webb ENGR 102
Nested for Loop – Example
14
−2 1
𝐵𝐵 = 0 8
7 −3
Generate a matrix 𝐶𝐶
whose entries are the
squares of all of the
elements in 𝐵𝐵
Nested for loop
Outer loop steps through
rows
Counter is row index
Inner loop steps through
columns
Counter is column index
Webb ENGR 102
15 Pseudocode & Top-Down Design
Webb ENGR 102
Pseudocode
16
Flowcharts provide a useful tool for designing
algorithms
Allow for describing algorithmic structure
Ultimately used for generation of code
Details neglected in favor of concise structural and
functional description
Pseudocode provides a similar tool
One step closer to actual code
Textual description of an algorithm
Natural language mixed with language-specific syntax
Webb ENGR 102
Pseudocode – Example
17
Consider an algorithm for
determining the maximum of a
vector of values
Pseudocode might look like:
N = length of x
max_x = x[0]
for i = 1 through N-1
if x[i] is greater than current
max_x, then set max_x = x[i]
We'll learn the Python-specific
for-loop syntax in the following
section of notes
Webb ENGR 102
Top-Down Design
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Flowcharts and pseudocode are useful tools for top-
down design
A good approach to any complex engineering design (and
writing, as well)
First, define the overall system or algorithm at the top level
(perhaps as a flowchart)
Then, fill in the details of individual functional blocks
Top-level flowchart identifies individual functional
blocks and shows how each fits into the algorithm
Each functional block may comprise its own flow chart or
even multiple levels of flow charts
Hierarchical design
Webb ENGR 102
Top-Down Design - Example
19
Let’s say you have deflection data from FEM
analysis of a truss design
Data stored in text files
Deflection vs. location along truss
Parametric study
Three different component thicknesses
Two different materials
Six data sets
Read in the data, calculate the max deflection and
plot the deflection vs. position
Webb ENGR 102
Top-Down Design - Example
20
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Webb ENGR 102
