Abstraction, Decomposition and Pattern Recognition

What is decomposition?

• Adding detail to make a problem more complex

• Breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts

• When you ignore the unnecessary detail in a problem

Why do we decompose a complex problem?

• To make it easier to solve

• To make it more difficult to solve

• To change the problem we have

Which of these is an example of decomposition?

• Watching a mechanic repair a car

• Finding out how a car works by looking in detail at the different parts that make up the car

• Looking at different car models for similarities between them

How often do we decompose problems?

• We never decompose them, computers do this for us

• Occasionally, but we don't really need to

• Every day, often without thinking about it

Which of these is NOT an example of decomposition?

• Thinking about how the problem could be divided into smaller parts

• Adding more parts to the problem so it becomes more complex

• Working out who could help you solve a part of the problem

What is pattern recognition?

• Breaking down a complex problem into smaller problems

• Looking for similarities among and within problems

• Building models from patterns

Why do we need to look for patterns in problems?

• Patterns make it easier for us to solve complex problems

• We don't need to look for patterns

• Patterns make it more difficult complex problems

Which of the following is not done by abstraction?

• Identifies essential details

• Disregards non-essential information

• Breaks the problem down into smaller tasks

Which of the following is not done by decomposition?

• Allows multiple people to work on the problem together

• Disregards non-essential information

• Breaks the problem down into smaller tasks

When drawing a dog, which of the following characteristics is non-essential?

• Dogs have 4 paws

• Dogs have fur

• Dogs have brown fur