1. Computational Thinking
Thinking Abstractly
Thinking Ahead
Thinking Procedurally
Thinking Logically
Thinking Concurrently

2. Thinking Abstractly The nature of abstraction
Abstraction can be a difficult concept to first get your head around. There are various definitions which all follow a similar theme:
“An abstract or general idea or term.”
“The act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.”
“An impractical idea; something visionary and unrealistic.”
“A work of art, especially a nonrepresentational one”
In pairs come up with a Computer Science definition for abstraction. Be prepared to share it with the class.

3. Abstraction and Computer Science
The process of separating ideas from specific instances of those ideas at work. Computational structures are defined by their meanings, while hiding away the details of how they work. Abstraction tries to factor out details from a common pattern so that programmers can work close to the level of human thoughts, leaving out details which matter in practice, but are immaterial to the problem being solved.

4. Thinking Abstractly The need for abstraction
A-Z Travel map of London for people travelling by car
How has abstraction been used in this situation and why was it needed?
It is a top down view of London and all the unnecessary features have been removed so that all that is left is roads. These roads are colour coded and labelled with boxes to make information clearer.

5. Thinking Abstractly The need for abstraction
Key bus routes in central London
How has abstraction been used in this situation and why was it needed?
This is a map of bus routes in London. It has been reduced by taking out as much information as possible. It includes bus routes and stations, and tourist attractions. However it is not to scale. The bus routes are colour coded for ease of reading.

6. Thinking Abstractly The need for abstraction
Image used for a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle about London’s landmarks
How has abstraction been used in this situation and why was it needed?
This image is not to scale, or accurately drawn. The buildings are represented in 3D and the image is coloured brightly for aesthetics. The sky has also been included. This would not be used for navigation.

7. Thinking Abstractly The need for abstraction
Congestion zone map of central London
How has abstraction been used in this situation and why was it needed?
This map still has information about roads, POI’s and parks for ease of navigation, as well as information about congestion zones by using colours to differentiate between zones. However does not include information about elevation or specific bus routes, or accurate graphics for buildings. It is also 2D.

8. Thinking Abstractly The need for abstraction Tourist map of London
How has abstraction been used in this situation and why was it needed?
Tourist attractions have been drawn in 3D on a 2D map so that they stand out as this is the information that the tourist needs to take out of the map. Roads have been marked, they may not be accurately to scale but they still show a sense of direction and can be navigated off of.

9. Thinking Abstractly Abstraction and Reality
1. Explain with the aid of these diagrams the difference between abstraction an reality.
Reality
Abstraction

10. Thinking Abstractly Abstraction and Reality
1. Explain with the aid of these diagrams the difference between abstraction an reality.
Reality
Abstraction

11. Thinking Abstractly Abstraction and Reality
1. Explain with the aid of these diagrams the difference between abstraction an reality.
Reality
Abstraction

12. Thinking Abstractly Abstraction and Reality
1. Explain with the aid of these diagrams the difference between abstraction an reality.
Reality
Abstraction

13. Thinking Abstractly Devising Abstract Models
A house plan needs to be drawn up by a structural engineer to provide to a planning officer. How might abstraction be used by the engineer when producing the drawing?
This is a top down view of the house to show layout and size. There are bold lines to show walls and windows are clearly marked in grey. The rooms have been labelled however do not include any furniture.

14. Thinking Abstractly Devising Abstract Models
Abstraction is used heavily in every game ever made. Replicating reality isn’t possible and often shouldn’t even been a goal, interactive entertainment sets itself apart by offering players fun decisions and testing their skills often by immersing them in a unique world. Games fail to achieve these goals when they prioritise realism above everything else.
Using The Internet research the Civilization game series. This is a computer game franchise which lets players manage the growth and development of a nation as it evolves through from the stone age to current times.
How has abstraction been used during the development of this game?
It has simplified the economic structure of the time the game is based on.
Social interactions have been simplified.
There are icons for buildings.
The terrain has been simplified.
Turn based combat.
Time would be simplified.

15. Thinking Abstractly Exam Questions…
AirlineGo is a flight simulator, designed for pilots, to learn how to fly commercial aircraft. The simulator allows the pilot to fly virtually over many types of terrain including cities, landing and taking off at international airports. The developers of the simulation software examine real cities. They then use a process of abstraction to design a virtual city and airport. Explain why developers use abstraction.
Developers use abstraction to create a simplified version of a complex problem. For example using predefined subroutines simplifies a programming language as all the details can be taken out for simple procedures.
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16. Thinking Abstractly Exam Questions…
The simulated city and the real city will have similarities and differences. State two similarities between the simulated city and the real city, and explain why these similarities exist.
Similarity 1  
Elevation would be realistic in the simulated city.
Similarity
As would geographic properties, such as size, and position of trees and buildings, especially locations of international airports.
[4]

17. Thinking Abstractly Exam Questions…
State two differences between the simulated and real city.
Difference 1
The people would not be accurate, as this is not important information.
Difference 2
Vehicles and similar objects would not need to be generated accurately.
[4]

18. Thinking Abstractly Task…
Create 3 images of Dorset varying in purpose and levels of abstraction. Annotate your work with comments on the need for abstraction in your images.
Find 3 example's of abstraction in the programming industry. What is the need for programmers to use them and how does it advantage the coding solution.