Computer Science

a tool used to track the values of variables and the flow of execution in an algorithm or program, step by step

a mistake or unexpected behaviour in a program that prevents it from working correctly

an operation that gives you the remainder when one number is divided by another

Tracing algorithms

Computational thinking

Comparing algorithms to computer programs

Representing algorithms using flowcharts

Representing algorithms using pseudocode

Data structures

Algorithmic bias

Tackling a project using computational thinking

In this unit pupils will discover the computational thinking techniques; decomposition, abstraction and algorithmic thinking. They will reflect on differences between algorithms and computer programs and explore how algorithms can be represented. Pupils will explore the impact of algorithmic bias.

Algorithms

a tool to track variable values and execution flow

a mistake in a program that prevents it from working correctly

an operation that gives the remainder when dividing two numbers

mistakes made by people when creating trace tables

the process of running an algorithm or program

What is a common limitation of trace tables?

Track the values of variables step by step.

Arrange these steps into the correct order for creating a trace table.

they can become too large and difficult to manage

Why might trace tables be impractical for complex algorithms?

What is a set of step-by-step instructions to solve a problem called?

Why is it helpful to develop an algorithm’s logic before coding?

What is a diagram that represents logic or data (or similar alternatives)?

breaking down problems into smaller subproblems

ignoring the important parts of a problem

focusing on the important parts and ignoring irrelevant details

What is abstraction in computational thinking?

What is a way to express an algorithm in plain language (or similar alternatives)?

Tracing algorithms

Lesson outcome