Understanding Abstraction: Its Role in Life and Computer Science
Explore the concept of abstraction, a vital tool in life and computer science. Learn how abstraction simplifies complex information by focusing on what’s important while ignoring unnecessary details. Discover different types of abstraction, including physical, modeling, control, and data abstractions, and understand their layers. This insightful discussion by Maureen Psaila-Dombrowski illustrates how abstraction operates in everyday scenarios, from navigating social situations to driving a car. Embrace abstraction as a powerful strategy to make tasks manageable and enhance your problem-solving skills.
Understanding Abstraction: Its Role in Life and Computer Science
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Presentation Transcript
New Mexico Computer Science For All Abstraction in Life and Computer Science Maureen Psaila-Dombrowski
What is Abstraction? • Abstraction • Ignoring some details or parts so that you can focus on what is important to you at that time. • As your interests change the amount of abstraction you need can change too. • Levels of Abstraction • These are the levels or layers in your abstraction. • The layer in your abstraction includes things that can be grouped together in the same way.
Some Types of Abstraction • Physical Abstraction • Levels - physical parts of an object. • Modeling Abstraction • Levels - what you want to include in a model. • Control Abstraction • Levels - how something is controlled • Data Abstraction • Levels - some characteristic of the data and how you want to use it.
What? • No Way! I never do that….. Yes you do… you are doing it right now! • Everyone uses abstraction – otherwise …. • Your brain automatically filters or abstracts • Sights • Sounds • Your mind automatically changes levels of abstraction • Driving, walking • Looking for a friend in a crowd
Applying Abstraction in Everyday Life • Abstraction • Simplification to what’s important. • Focus on the important part • Ignore the other parts until later, if at all • Powerful! • Don’t waste time and energy • Make’s things manageable, doable • Then use decomposition to figure out the steps
Applying Abstraction in Everyday Life: Go to a Amusement Park
Applying Abstraction: CAR Driver Mechanic Car Parts Designer Automotive Engineer Mechanical Engineer Physicist Materials Engineer
CAR Brake Accelerator Applying Abstraction: Modeling Driving a Car
CAR Accelerator Brake Applying Abstraction: Modeling Driving a Car Wipers Mirrors Indicator Gas Guage
One Last Abstraction: After learning about what is inside a computer, You realize that a computer can be abstracted as follows
One Last Abstraction: Average Person Computer Programmer System Designer Hardware Engineer
One Last Abstraction: YOU Before this Class Average Person Computer Programmer Operating System Designer
One Last Abstraction: YOU Before this Class Average Person YOU After this Class Computer Programmer Operating System Designer
Summary • Abstraction - simplification, focus only on the important parts • Levels of Abstraction - each level includes things that can be grouped together. • You already use abstraction all the time • You can apply abstraction to different things and for different reasons • Objects • Models