Computational Thinking - week 7

Computational Thinking involves a set of problem solving skills and techniques used to create a solution to open-ended problems. Usually in a school setting there is always a right answer to every question posed. In computational thinking we are stretched to use our resourcefulness to solve these questions but we are also taught that there is not always a simple answer. Four characteristics are used to define computational thinking

• Decomposition
• Patterns (data representation)
• Abstraction (generalisation)
• Algorithms

(the definitions of these characteristics are here)

By decomposing a problem, identifying the variables involved using patterns, and creating an algorithm the result is a generic solution. The generic solution is a generalisation or abstraction that can be used to solve a multitude of variations of the initial problem.

Reference:

https://www.google.com/edu/resources/programs/exploring-computational-thinking/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_thinking