Teaching the basic problem solving students need to know and understand when working in any language or application, the third edition of this text provides a step-by-step progression of topics and in-depth coverage. With detailed explanations and numerous illustrations, it encompasses all fundamental areas of problem solving from the basics of mathematical functions and operators, to the design and use of such techniques as codes, indicators, control breaks, arrays, pointers, file updates, and report handling. The third edition contains new chapters on document processing and data structures, and more problems at the end of each chapter.