Lesson 04-11: CT Pillar: Decomposition

Learning Target: I can break down problems through decomposition and describe its role in computational thinking.

Pillars of Computational Thinking:
  • Decomposition
  • Abstraction
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Algorithms

Breaking Down Problems

In Lesson 04-09, we talked briefly about using functions to break down problems. One of the pillars of computational thinking is decomposition. Decomposition is taking a complex problem and breaking it down into smaller parts - and perhaps each of those parts will need to be decomposed further.

Decomposition is both a process and a mindset - the process is actually taking a problem and breaking it down, whereas the mindset is being able to think in terms of smaller processes and recognizing when a function can be broken down. Both can be built with experience and reflection. It’s always a great idea to go back to older proj ects and think about how they can be improved upon.

Next Section - Lesson 04-12: CT Pillar: Abstraction