Thinking Like a Programmer

Question 1

What is an algorithm?

Answer 1

A step-by-step process to solve a problem.

Question 2

Does an algorithm have to be code?

Answer 2

No, it can also be written in plain language.

Question 3

What is the first step when solving a programming problem?

Answer 3

Understand the problem before writing any code.

Question 4

What does “breaking a problem down” mean?

Answer 4

Splitting a big task into smaller, manageable steps.

Question 5

What is decomposition in programming?

Answer 5

The act of breaking complex problems into smaller parts.

Question 6

What is logical thinking in programming?

Answer 6

Making decisions based on clear rules and predictable outcomes.

Question 7

What does debugging mean?

Answer 7

Finding and fixing errors or unexpected behavior in code.

Question 8

What is the key mindset of debugging?

Answer 8

Assume your logic might be wrong and test it piece by piece.

Question 9

What should you check first when code doesn’t work?

Answer 9

Your assumptions and the values your program is actually using.

Question 10

What is a common debugging method?

Answer 10

Printing or inspecting values to see what the code is doing.

Question 11

What does “trace the code” mean?

Answer 11

Follow the logic step by step like the computer would.

Question 12

What is an edge case?

Answer 12

An uncommon situation that can break a program if not handled.

Question 13

What is resilience in programming?

Answer 13

Being able to retry and rethink instead of giving up when something breaks.

Question 14

What is a stack?

Answer 14

A structure that stores items in “last in, first out” order (LIFO).

Question 15

Stack example: dishes piled up — which dish do you take first?

Answer 15

The top one (last added, first removed).

Question 16

What is a queue?

Answer 16

A structure that stores items in “first in, first out” order (FIFO).

Question 17

Queue example: a line of people — who goes first?

Answer 17

The person who arrived first.

Question 18

When is a stack useful?

Answer 18

When the most recent item should be used first (undo button, back button, etc).

Question 19

When is a queue useful?

Answer 19

When tasks should be handled in order of arrival (lines, notifications, print jobs).

Question 20

What separates a programmer from a beginner?

Answer 20

How they think through problems, not how much code they memorize.