Computing Science

What is Computational Thinking?

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

• Allows us to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions.

• Looking for similarities among and within problems

Why do we need to think computationally?

• To help us to program

• To help us solve complex problems more easily.

• To help us to think like a computer

What is Decomposition?

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

• Adding detail to make a problem more complex

• When you ignore the unnecessary detail in a problem

Why do we decompose a complex problem?

• To make it more difficult to solve

• To change the problem, we have

• To make it easier to solve

Which of these is an example of decomposition?

• Watching a mechanic repair a bicycle

• Looking at different motorcycles for similarities between them

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

What is pattern recognition?

• Breaking down a complex problem into smaller problems

• Building models from patterns

• Looking for similarities among and within problems

Why do we need to look for patterns in problems?

• Patterns make it easier for us to solve complex problems.

• Patterns make it more difficult to solve complex problems.

• We don't need to look for patterns.

What is an algorithm?

• Patterns and trends used to solve a problem

• A set of step-by-step instructions to resolve a problem

• A programming language

What are algorithms used for?

• To plan out the solution to a problem.

• As a platform to program a solution

• To test a solution to a problem

Which of the following is an example of thinking computationally?

• Planning out your route when going to meet a friend

• When going to meet a friend, wandering around until you find them

• When going to meet a friend, asking a parent to plan your route for you