Final answer:
To compute the sum of the squares of the first 50 counting numbers using the variables k and total, use a while loop.
Step-by-step explanation:
To compute the sum of the squares of the first 50 counting numbers using the variables k and total, you can use a while loop. Here's an example:
k = 1
total = 0
while k <= 50:
total += k * k
k += 1
In this code, k starts from 1 and increases by 1 in each iteration. The variable total is updated by adding the square of k in each iteration. At the end of the loop, total will contain the sum of the squares of the first 50 counting numbers.