What is Coding?
Coding is writing computer code to create a program, to solve a problem. Programs are created to implement algorithms. Algorithms can be represented as pseudocode or a flowchart,
and programming is the translation of these into a computer program
To tell a computer to do something, a program must be written to tell it exactly what to do and how to do it. If an algorithm has been designed, the computer program
will follow this algorithm, step-by-step, which will tell the computer exactly what it should do.
There are many different programming languages, some more complicated and complex than others. Among the most popular languages are:
- Python
- Java
- C++
- BASIC
- Scratch
Computational thinking involves taking that complex problem and breaking it down into a series of small, more manageable problems (decomposition). Each of these smaller problems can then be looked at individually, considering how similar problems have been solved previously (pattern recognition) and focusing only on the important details, while ignoring irrelevant information (abstraction). Next, simple steps or rules to solve each of the smaller problems can be designed (algorithms).
In computer science to solve a problem we first break it down into a series of parts or steps. we then try and put those parts into the correct or which we call 'Sequencing'. This is the specific order in which instructions are performed in an algorithm..
For example, a very simple algorithm for brushing teeth might consist of these steps:
- put toothpaste on toothbrush
- use toothbrush to clean teeth
- rinse toothbrush
A toothbrush would still be used to clean the teeth and toothpaste would still be put on the brush. But because steps 1 and 2 are in the wrong sequence the teeth wouldn’t get cleaned
with the toothpaste, and the toothpaste would be wasted.
A human would realise they had forgotten to add toothpaste at the start of the process, but a computer would not know that anything was wrong.
A computer can only do what it is programmed to do. If the steps are programmed in the wrong sequence, the computer will perform the tasks in this sequence – even if this is incorrect.