2.1 - computational thinking and algorithms

Question 1

what is computational thinking

Answer 1

thinking logically in a way that a computer would

Question 2

what is abstraction

Answer 2

only focusing on relevant details while ignoring others to create the simplest form of a problem so you can solve it

Question 3

what is decomposition

Answer 3

breaking a problem down into simpler easier to manage parts that you can tackle one by one

Question 4

what is algorithmic thinking

Answer 4

generating a series of simple steps to solve the problem

Question 5

what is a flow chart

Answer 5

a visual representation of an algorithm

Question 6

what shape represents the start/end of a flowchart

Answer 6

cylinder

Question 7

what shape shows an input/output

Answer 7

parallelogram

Question 8

what shape shows a process

Answer 8

rectangle

Question 9

what shape shows a decision

Answer 9

diamond

Question 10

what is a trace table

Answer 10

a table that shows variables as they change throughout a program

Question 11

what is a searching algorithm for

Answer 11

to check if an item is in a list

Question 12

what is linear search

Answer 12

checking every item in a list to see if one of them is the one you are looking for

Question 13

what is binary search

Answer 13

checking the middle of a sorted list, and checking if it is higher or lower than the value you are looking for, then remove the half of the list that is on the wrong side, then repeat

Question 14

pros and cons of binary vs linear search

Answer 14

binary always takes same amount of time and is quicker on longer lists, but requires the list to be sorted, linear search takes a variable amount of time but is quicker on shorter lists

Question 15

how do you identify binary vs linear search

Answer 15

binary search has a midpoint and first and last variables

Question 16

what is a sorting algorithm

Answer 16

an algorithm that sorts a list into order

Question 17

what is bubble sort

Answer 17

checks each value to the one next to it and swaps them if the first is bigger, then checks the next values

Question 18

what is insertion sort

Answer 18

checks the first value with the value next to it and swaps them if it is bigger, then checks the same one against the next one in the list and so on until it is smaller, then it is inserted. it does this with every value in the list.

Question 19

what is merge sort

Answer 19

splits the list into smaller sub-lists, then sorts those and adds them together then sorts that list

Question 20

pros and cons of bubble merge and insertion sort

Answer 20

insertion is fastest, bubble is slowest but easiest to code, merge is fast but really complex