Elements of computational thinking Flashcards
what is the nature of abstraction ?
the nature of abstraction is hiding unnecessary details and showing details that are important in context
what are the advantages of abstraction?
- makes UI’s easier to use
-only useful data is used
-underlying data storage and algorithms are hidden
why is abstraction needed?
- abstraction is needed as it allows us to create a general idea of what the problem is and how to solve it . this process instructs us to remove all specific details and any patterns that will not solve our problem .
- to save memory
why is thinking ahead important?
thinking ahead is important as it allows code efficiency
and minimise errors
what is a precondition ? and why is it important ?
a precondition is a condition that must be fullfilled before other things can happen or be done .
for example , a budget
this is important as this allows the user to create a list of things they must look for in order to solve a problem
what is caching? and what are its benefits and drawbacks?
caching is the process of storing copies of files in a temporary memory location.
benefits:
-improves speed and efficiency
drawback :
-the wrong data is often fetched
-complicated to implement
-maintaing the correct sequence of instruction or data can be problematic .
what is a reusable program component ? and what are the benefits of using a reusable program ?
A reusable program component is a section of code that can be reused during the development of new programs
benefits:
- shortens development time
-saved system resources
- more time efficient
- lowers development cost
what is external reuse ?
external reuse is selling a component to a third party
e.g API
what is thinking procedurally ? and what is its adv?
thinking procedurally is identifying the individual parts of a bigger problem .- a a large complex task is broken down.
an advantage is that its easier to test and maintain
what is a boolean expression?
this is a true or false statement
what is a logical condition ?
this is when you boolean expressions to chose the most logical output
what is concurrently ?
this is when an application is making progress on more than one task at the same time. (concurrently)
what is parallelism ?
parallelism means that an application splits its tasks into smaller tasks which can be processed in Parrallel e.g over multiple cpu cores at the SAME TIME.
what is backtracking ?
backtracking is the process of building towards a solution , abandoning partial success when the solution cant be completed .
e.g going back to find other routes to solve the problem .
what is data mining? and when is it used
is the concept of analysing vast amount of data gathered from a variety of sources to discover new information .
this tends to by used by firms to maximise profits
what is performance modelling ?
performance modelling is the process of approximating how well models perform using mathematics
what is the rule of thumb?
the rule of thumb is a broadly accurate guess based on theory
what is visualisation ?
visualisation allows us to create a mental image of what a program will do or how it will work
what is divide and conquer and its use?
divide and conquer is a technique that reduces the size of a problem with each iteration .
e,g binary search method .
what is the difference between abstraction and reality ?
the difference between abstraction and reality is that reality has unecessary details , that might not link to context ; whereas abstraction is a simplification of reality
what is a heuristic ?
a heuristic approach tries find an answer which is close to the optimum solution without need computing
what is concurrent processing ?
- concurrent processing is simeltaneous execution of many instruction using multiple processors
what is the difference between pipeling and concurrent processing ?
the difference between them is that pipeling processes multiple instructions at different stages , whereas concurrent processing does them at once , on muultiple cpu’s
describe Two key features of Data mining ?
- data mining takes up lots of data ( high volume)
- the data collected varies ( variety)
what is problem recognition ?
the ability to recognise and acknowledge a problem
define:
enumeration
simulation
theoretical approach
creative solution
enumeration - this is the process of listing all possible cases
simulation - this is the process of designing a models in order to understand the behaviour of the system
theoretical approach -this is the most theoretical approach
what are the benefits and trade offs of concurrent processing ?
Benefits :
-reactive programming
-avaliablity of servies
-controlability
Trade offs:
- safety
-liveness
-resource consumption
what are the benefits of using Abstraction before coding ?
-Reduced development time
-Program more likely to solve the problem
-Reduces complexity of programming code
