Digital: Computational Thinking Concepts

Question 1

What is computational thinking?

Answer 1

Using special thinking patterns and processes to pose and solve problems or prepare programmes for computation
Simply put computational thinking is a set of skills that help to set up a problem in such a way that a computer can help you solve it

Question 2

Comprises of four pillars:

Answer 2

Decomposition
Pattern matching
Abstraction
Algorithms (Also referred to as automation)

A mythological approach to solving a problem

Question 3

Decomposition

Answer 3

Breaking the problem into smaller parts (smaller more manageable problems /parts)
Easier to look at smaller problems / small series of steps than a large problem
Stepping through the problem, identifying the first step
Sometimes it’s better to identify the last step to solve the problem and then step backwards until the rest of the solution /steps become clear
Solving the subproblems might teach you about the techniques needed to solve the entire problem as a whole

Question 4

Pattern recognition and matching

Answer 4

Might seem obvious; once more complex patterns arise –becomes difficult to identify and obvious solutions to a problem may hide in plain sight

Pattern recognition – the practice of finding similarities between items as a way of gaining extra information
Pattern matching – the realisation that something matches a pattern already recognized by you

Question 5

Abstraction

Answer 5

When solving difficult problems, it may help to combine skills like abstraction with pattern matching
Sometimes the very next item may only indicate the very next item in a sequence – further analysis may lead to a solution that works all the way down the line
Abstraction is the practice of ignoring certain details to come up with a solution that works for a more general problem - Letting go of details to make a process easier

Question 6

Automation / Algorithms

Answer 6

Series of steps in a particular sequence to solve a problem or in performing specific task
Anywhere where there is an algorithm there is some level of automation nearby
All forms of mathematical functions are automation in some way – they are providing solutions – can be followed by someone or something other than the original problem solver – can also be putting solutions into a form that works for multiple tasks
Process automation as per last years Enterprise studies – part of the 4IR
When you use automation
Logic and Reasoning - Flowcharts Graphical representation of an algorithm (Algorithm - set of instructions to solving a problem - basic flowchart symbols)

Question 7

Automation / Algorithms

Answer 7

Main Concepts
Sequences (A series of individual steps or instructions)
Loops (executing the same sequence a number of times)
Parallelisms (sequences of instructions or steps happening at the same time)
Events (one thing causes another thing to happen)
Conditionals (make decisions based on certain conditions)
Operators (mathematical logical and string expressions)
Data (storing, retrieving and updating values)