Arithmetic Operators in Pseudocode

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. Which operator is used for multiplication in VCAA pseudocode?

A * — for example: area <- length * width

B x — for example: area <- length x width

2. What does the MOD operator return in pseudocode?

A The whole number result of division

B The remainder after integer division

3. What does total DIV 4 return when total is 10?

A 2.5 — the exact decimal result

B 2 — the whole number part of 10 / 4

4. Which correctly subtracts cost from revenue in pseudocode?

A profit <- revenue - cost

B profit <- revenue -- cost

5. What does 15 MOD 4 evaluate to in pseudocode?

A 3 — the remainder when 15 is divided by 4

B 3.75 — the decimal result of 15 divided by 4

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1area <- length * width		AWrong — x is not a valid pseudocode operator. The multiplication operator is the asterisk . The correct form is `area <- length width`
2remainder <- total MOD 7		BDivides total by 7 and stores only the remainder in the variable remainder — for example if total is 22 the result is 1
3DIV returns the whole number part of a division, discarding any remainder		Cquotient <- 17 DIV 5
4The + operator adds two values and the - operator subtracts one value from another		Dtotal <- a + b profit <- revenue - cost
5area <- length x width		EWrong — the caret ^ is not a standard VCAA pseudocode operator. To square a value, multiply it by itself: `result <- a * a`
6result <- a ^ 2		FMultiplies length by width using the * operator and stores the result in area

Definitions

MOD

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

total <- price _ quantity

average <- (a + b) _ 2

remainder <- total ___ 7

quotient <- total ___ 4

profit <- revenue _ cost

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A Algorithm: compute area

B input length, width

C area <- length x width

D print area

Question 2

A Algorithm: find average

B input a, b, c

C total <- a + b + c

D average <- total \ 3

E print average

Question 3

A Algorithm: get remainder

B input n

C remainder <- n MOD 5

D print remainder

Question 4

A Algorithm: integer divide

B input total

C result <- total DIV 4

D print results

Question 5

A Algorithm: calculate tax

B input income

C tax <- income * 0.2

D net <- income - tax

E print net

Answer Key

Arithmetic Operators in Pseudocode

Section A: Quick Questions

A — * — for example: area <- length * width

B — The remainder after integer division

B — 2 — the whole number part of 10 / 4

A — profit <- revenue - cost

A — 3 — the remainder when 15 is divided by 4

Section B: Match the Pairs

area <- length * width → Multiplies length by width using the * operator and stores the result in area

remainder <- total MOD 7 → Divides total by 7 and stores only the remainder in the variable remainder — for example if total is 22 the result is 1

DIV returns the whole number part of a division, discarding any remainder → quotient <- 17 DIV 5

The + operator adds two values and the - operator subtracts one value from another → total <- a + b profit <- revenue - cost

area <- length x width → Wrong — x is not a valid pseudocode operator. The multiplication operator is the asterisk *. The correct form is `area <- length * width`

result <- a ^ 2 → Wrong — the caret ^ is not a standard VCAA pseudocode operator. To square a value, multiply it by itself: `result <- a * a`

Section C: Definitions

MOD — The pseudocode operator that returns the remainder after integer division. Example: 10 MOD 3 gives 1 because 10 divided by 3 is 3 remainder 1

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

total <- price * quantity

average <- (a + b) / 2

remainder <- total MOD 7

quotient <- total DIV 4

profit <- revenue - cost

Section E: Spot the Error

C — `length x width` uses the letter x as a multiplication symbol, which is not valid in pseudocode. The correct operator for multiplication is the asterisk *. The line should read `area <- length * width`. Line 2 is wrong.

D — The backslash \ is not a valid pseudocode operator. For division the correct operator is the forward slash /. The line should read `average <- total / 3`. Line 3 is wrong.

A — The algorithm header is missing its colon. The correct form is `Algorithm: get remainder` with a colon after the keyword Algorithm. Line 0 is wrong.

D — `print results` references a variable called `results` but the variable assigned on line 2 is called `result`. Variable names must match exactly. The line should read `print result`. Line 3 is wrong.

C — `income * 0.2` uses a decimal multiplier not typical in VCAA pseudocode which conventionally uses integer or variable operands. The more standard form expresses 20% as `tax <- income / 5`. Line 2 is wrong.