Fig. 1 shows a flowchart controlling a machine.... | Design & Technology: Product Design 9252 | Paper 1 Mock 01 | Technical, designing and making principles

Question 1 Report

Fig. 1 shows a flowchart controlling a machine.

(a) Name the symbol used for a decision in a flowchart. [1]
(b) Explain why a designer produces a flowchart before writing the program. [3]

Answer

Answer Details

The decision symbol in a flowchart is a diamond, also called a rhombus [1].
A flowchart sets out the sequence of actions and decision points before programming begins. The designer can check the logic and identify errors before writing code [1]. It can also be understood by clients or team members who are not programmers, allowing them to agree how the machine should behave [1]. Finally, the defined structure makes the program easier to write and easier to alter later [1].

In particular, the diamond represents a question with different possible routes, such as yes/no, rather than a normal process step.

Fig. 1 shows a flowchart controlling a machine. (a) Name the symbol used for a decision in a flowchart. [1] (b) Explain why a designer produces a flowchart ...