Essay
Unit 4 Programming assignment 1 (Distinction)
- Module
- Unit 4 - Programming
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
This is the first assignment of unit 4 programming, I covered all the areas (All criteria met)
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Computational thinking allows us to understand the core of a complex problem, determinewhat solutions are possible and present them in a way that is understandable by a computer
or human. 4 steps of computational thinking are-
● Decomposition
● Pattern recognition
● Abstraction
● Algorithm
Decomposition- It means identifying any problems from
the start of the programme and then breaking down the
complex problem into smaller parts that are easier to solve
and understand. This process contains 4 key steps to help
the programmers. It first identifies and describes problems,
and then breaks down problems, Describe problems and
processes as a set of structure steps and lastly
communicate the key features of problems and processes to others. For example- Suppose
you went to a restaurant for dinner, first think you will use decomposition to select the menu.
You will read the menu first, if you don’t understand anything you will ask the waiter, they will
explain to you and you might decide to break it down into starter, main and dessert. Then
you will tell them what to bring for you.
This process of taking a larger problem and breaking it into smaller ones is Decomposition.
Pattern recognition- Once the problem decomposes into smaller tasks it then identifies the
common and similar things on the programme. Identifying common patterns in programming
include - pattern recognition, pattern generalisation and abstraction and lastly representing
parts of a problem. Example of Pattern recognition- organise your school days, firstly you
will go to school, you will attend your classes, the teacher will teach, you will have your
homeworks or not, then you will have lunch again, some lessons then come back home.
Abstraction- It involves focusing on only the most important details of a problem and
ignoring others that are less important. Abstraction is the process of filtering out. For
example when we press the power button on our computer, we don’t know what's going on.
The process of powering up the computer and loading the operating system into RAM has
been hidden, it just simply comes on and loads the login screen. We don’t need to know
about it or how it works. Another example of abstraction is when the Time Trial Program only
asks for essential information to save a record, like the rider's name, time, club and gender.
It doesn't ask for non-essential information, like the colour of their jersey, or bike make, the
height of the rider, or the weather conditions.
Algorithms- Algorithms are like rules they contain steps and rules that can be followed to
solve unique problems There are 2 steps of designing an algorithm Understanding the
programme and identifying the input. For example, suppose a teacher is searching for
students. All they need to do is log into the information management system using username
and password. Once the teacher is displayed the student's ID and it will display the whole
, details about the student. Another example of an algorithm is the sorting function in the Time
Trial Program. They just hit sort, the user doesn't see the algorithm working in the
background.
Programmers use these steps to solve problems. It's the process where they break down the
problems into simple processes that a computer can understand. Computational thinking
allows the user to figure out exactly what to tell the computer to do, since only computers act
and process the command they are given. Using their fast processing power, computers
can solve problems more efficiently once they understand the problem.
Question 2- Explain the uses of software applications and how they can solve
problems and meet the needs of clients
Application software- Among all types of software, application software is the most useful
and the one we interact with most often. Different types of software applications include-
➔ Word processors- A word processing program used to create, edit text documents,
such as Microsoft Word
➔ Software like Microsoft office which contains programs like Word,Powerpoint and
Excel
➔ Internet browsers such as Google Chrome, Apple safari, Internet explorer, Microsoft
Edge and Mozilla Firefox, It is an application that allows the user to access and
browse the world wide web.
They solve problems by allowing them to perform tasks on the computer.
Communication software- Over the internet, communication software allows users to send
and receive files, text, video and audio messages. There are lots of benefits of
Communication software, it’s cost effective when compared to traditional methods such as a
telephone phone line. Most communication work does double work, multiple people can
work on the same thing or share work with others, An example of this is Skype, it allows
people to make a video call and at the same time people can share their screen with the
people on the call.
Some communication software are-
➔ Email- it allows users to send and receive messages to one to other people, for
example, “GMail, Microsoft Outlook.”
➔ VoIP software such as Skype- its a system and chat programme.
➔ Chat application such as Whatsapp, Messenger
Multimedia software- Generally, multimedia software combines text, audio, images,
animation and video to create interactive contents. Multimedia software allows audio and
video files to be recorded and played. Some popular multimedia files include mp3 audio file,
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