Computational thinking

Before computers can be used to solve a problem, the problem itself and the ways in which it could be resolved must be understood. Computational thinking techniques help with these tasks.

Before computers can solve a problem, the problem and the ways in which it can be resolved must be understood. Decomposition helps by breaking down complex problems into more manageable parts.

Once we have decomposed a complex problem, it helps to examine the small problems for similarities or ‘patterns’. These patterns can help us to solve complex problems more efficiently.

Once we have recognised patterns in our problems, we use abstraction to gather the general characteristics and to filter out of the details we do not need in order to solve our problem.

An algorithm is a plan, a set of step-by-step instructions to resolve a problem. In an algorithm, each instruction is identified and the order in which they should be carried out is planned.

Before solutions can be programmed, it is important to make sure that it properly satisfies the problem, and that it does so efficiently. This is done through evaluation.