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Computational Thinking

Thinking
• The action of using one's mind to produce thoughts

• The mental process of considering or reasoning about something

• The activity of using your mind to consider something

• The process of using one's mind to consider or reason about

something, typically in a deliberate manner. It involves mental
activities such as conceptualizing, analyzing, evaluating,
problem-solving and making decisions. It is fundamental to
human cognition and intelligence.

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Thinking Types
• Abstract thinking • Divergent thinking
• Analytical thinking • Convergent thinking
• Application thinking • Linear thinking
• Associative thinking • Nonlinear thinking
• Concrete thinking • Metacognition thinking
• Creative thinking • Systems thinking
• Critical thinking • Holistic Thinking
Computational thinking etc. etc. etc.

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The Relationship

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The Relationship

Computational Thinking: Time-line

• First coined in 2006 by J. M. Wing, who used the

term in an article in an ACM publication.
• A similar phrase, “Procedural thinking” was used 10 years
earlier by Seymour Papert.
• Computational thinking has long been an inherent system
of problem-solving used in our everyday lives in all fields.
• Modern definitions mostly pertain to Computer Science.

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CT Definition
• Computational thinking is defined as the process of
identifying a clear, defined, step-by-step solution to a
complex problem.
• Includes breaking down a problem into smaller pieces,
recognizing patterns and eliminating extraneous details so
that the step-by-step solution can be replicated by humans or
computers.

Components of CT

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Components (skills) of CT
• Decomposition: The process of breaking down problems into
smaller, more manageable parts.
• Pattern Recognition: Seeks out connections and similarities amongst
the different parts.
• Abstraction: Removes the ‘noise’ of irrelevant information to find the
most important pieces in each decomposed problem.
• Algorithmic Thinking: Details the problem-solving process into
easily understood steps.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=qbnTZCj0ugI

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Uses of Computational Thinking

• Medical Industry
Using algorithms and data analysis helps medical professionals more
efficiently and effectively diagnose diseases, analyse medical images
and identify patterns in patient data for better treatment outcomes.

• Supply Chain Management

Algorithms perform computations that determine efficient routes for
shipping, predict supply and demand and help to manage inventory as
effectively as possible.

Uses of Computational Thinking

Energy Industry
• Optimize energy distribution. It is also integral to the green energy
movement, including the design and production of wind, solar, natural
gas, and geothermal energies.

Meteorology
• Simulate and predict weather patterns. These models involve complex
algorithms that analyze large datasets of atmospheric conditions to
make accurate forecasts.

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Uses of Computational Thinking

Criminal Justice and Legal Industries
• Computational thinking is prevalent in the criminal justice and legal
industries. It can be found in forensic investigations, legal precedence
and proceedings and more.

Finance Strategy and Business Intelligence

• Business strategy is data-based, utilizing pattern recognition,
modelling, risk assessment and more to identify the most beneficial
strategies for achieving goals.

Abstraction (in Art)

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Abstraction
• Driving a car without knowing the internal working of engine
• Taking medicine without knowing either its composition or how it
will react inside body
• When using a cell phone, you can figure out how to answer
incoming calls and respond to text messages. Thanks to abstraction,
you don’t need to know how the phone itself transmits signals.

Abstraction

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Abstraction

Abstraction

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Abstraction
Simplifying complex problems by hiding unnecessary
details and focusing on what's essential for a specific task
while ignoring irrelevant complexities.

Two men, one wearing blue shirt and other a green shirt bought one book each. One
book was on economics and other on Accounting. The economics book was bought
on 4th July at a price of Rs. 40 while accounting book was purchased one year later
at a price of Rs. 70.

What is the total amount of both purchases combined ?

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Decomposition

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Decomposition

Generate times table as requested by user

Modular Software Development

Input Module Processing Module Output Module

Algorithm
• A step-by-step procedure or a set of rules for solving a
specific problem or completing a specific task.

• It is a sequence of well-defined instructions.

• A flowchart is a graphical representation of an algorithm.

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Advantages of Algorithm
• Well-defined steps make it easy to understand.
• It uses a definite procedure that helps in clarity.
• Programming language independent

• Examples:
• Cooking recipe
• Location instructions
• Online course registration process in IBA

Algorithm
• Find if a given number “n” is odd or even

• Start
• Get number from user
• Divide by 2
• Check remainder (R)
• If R=0, declare even
• If R<>0, declare odd
• End

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Pattern Recognition
• A core CT skill that helps in creating shortcuts to solve complex
problems.
• Identifying commonalities / patterns / repetitions in the
problem while finding its solution
• Helps in identifying the solution that can be used again from similar
problems that were solved in the past.
• Avoids reinvention of the wheel!

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Let's consider an example:

• Can you predict

the arrangement of the 2
shapes in the row number 4?

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Pattern Recognition in Everyday life

When you learn how to make coffee with one coffee machine,
its pattern is developed in your mind and you will know how to
make coffee with different brands of coffee machines since you
replicate the same pattern in different situations.

• In artificial intelligence, we use pattern recognition to analyze

data and identify similarities to recommend an object or content
to the end user.
• For example, Amazon, Netflix, or Facebook recommend items, movies,
and friends or events from the patterns they develop based on your
interaction history with these systems.

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Pattern Recognition
• https://medium.com/turing-ninjas/pattern-recognition-a-key-skill-
for-computational-thinking-a8218bf3c3ae

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End

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