Computational thinking

Question 1

what is computational thinking

Answer 1

a problem solving technique

• takes a complex problem
• understand it
• develop possible solutions that can be presented in a way that a computer or a human or both can understand

Question 2

what is abstraction

Answer 2

focusing on important information only

ignoring irrelevant detail like your dad

Question 3

what is Decomposition

Answer 3

breaking down a complex problem into smaller more manageable parts. like trying to eat a large cake by cutting it into slices so it fits in your mouth easier

Question 4

what is pattern recognition

Answer 4

looking for similarities among and within problems

Question 5

what is algorithmic thinking

Answer 5

algorithm and algorithmic thinking is the process of developing step by step solutions to a problem

Question 6

what are the basic building blocks for designing algorithms

Answer 6

1. Sequence - the specific order in which instructions are performed
2. Selection - allows us to include more than one path through the algorithm
3. iteration - allows algorithms to be simplified by stating that certain steps repeat until told otherwise

Question 7

what are the two main ways to represent algorithms

Answer 7

pseudocode - (not a programming language) simple way of describing a set of instructions

flowchart - a diagram that shows a process made up of boxes representing steps , decisions, inputs and outputs

Question 8

how are the different elements of pseudocode usually written

Answer 8

instructions are written in uppercase
variables are written in lowercase
messages in sentence case

in pseudocode INPUT asks a question
OUTPUT prints a message on the screen

Question 9

what are the different types of search

Answer 9

linear - also known as serial searching. this searches for keywords in sequence (one by one) until a match is found

binary - divides data in half at each step until a match is found. this method only works if the data has been pre-sorted

Question 10

what are different types of sorting

Answer 10

bubble - compares two sets of data and swaps the order if required. can take a long time to perform as it can take several passes to process one set of data

bucket - separates data into buckets
empty buckets are set up and filled with the relevant data. each bucket is sorted the data is then put back into a list