Stupid

• What is essential for programmers to solve problems?

  Understanding how to solve the problem
• Why do programmers need a toolkit of methods?

  To consider various ways to solve problems
• What skills must programmers develop for successful problem solutions?

  Good computational thinking skills
• What does computational thinking help programmers do?

  Break problems into manageable chunks
• What is the technique called that programmers use to break down problems?

  Decomposition
• What is the starting point of decomposition?

  To decompose the large problem
• What is an advantage of decomposition?

  Different people can work on sub-problems
• What is a disadvantage of decomposition?

  Solutions may not integrate well
• What are the sub-problems for the smart card system?

  • Allow parents to add money
  • Allow pupils to pay
  • Update remaining balance
• How can 'allow parents to add money' be further broken down?

  Into three specific methods
• What are the methods for adding money over the internet?

  • Logon to payment system
  • Identify the child
  • Enter bank card details
  • Confirm payment
  • Logoff from system
• What is abstraction in programming?

  Reducing a problem to its simplest characteristics
• How can the code for drawing a square in Scratch be simplified?

  By using a loop for repeated commands
• What are decomposition and abstraction used for?

  • Analyze complex problems
  • Present analysis for computerized solutions
• What is a variable in programming?

  A storage for data that can change
• What should identifiers for variables reflect?

  The data being stored in them
• What is a constant in programming?

  A storage for data that does not change
• How are constants typically written?

  In capital letters
• What is a local variable?

  A variable defined within a sub-procedure
• What is a global variable?

  A variable accessible from anywhere in a program
• What is an advantage of local variables?

  They are easier to track changes
• What is an advantage of global variables?

  They ensure data is accessible to all sub-procedures
• What does the algorithm for calculating the area of a circle include?

  • Declare PI and Radius
  • Define subprocedure FindArea
  • Calculate Area using Radius
  • Output the area
• What is the lifespan of static variables?

  Lasts the entire program runtime
• What happens to dynamic variables when a sub-procedure ends?

  They lose their assigned value
• How do static and dynamic variables differ in memory allocation?

  Static variables have fixed memory locations