Abstraction: Difference between revisions
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[[File:binary.png|frame|right|This is a basic concept in computer science]] | [[File:binary.png|frame|right|This is a basic concept in computer science]] | ||
In software engineering and computer science, abstraction is a technique for arranging complexity of computer systems. It works by establishing a level of complexity on which a person interacts with the system, suppressing the more complex details below the current level.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction_(software_engineering)</ref> | In software engineering and computer science, abstraction is a technique for arranging complexity of computer systems. It works by establishing a level of complexity on which a person interacts with the system, suppressing the more complex details below the current level.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction_(software_engineering)</ref> | ||
== Identifying examples of abstraction == | |||
(awaiting permission to post material) | |||
'''Anytime you see a simple interface covering a more complex system''', you should think "abstraction". | |||
* A car is a very complex machine but the interface is simple (a steering wheel, a gas pedal and a gear shift) | |||
* A video game controller only has a few buttons, but underneath the controller is complex control mechanism | |||
* A programming language can be fairly simple, but it translates the instructions you write into machine code, which is impossibly complex | |||
Revision as of 15:26, 26 July 2017
This is an important concept. You should fully understand this.
This is a basic concept in computer science
In software engineering and computer science, abstraction is a technique for arranging complexity of computer systems. It works by establishing a level of complexity on which a person interacts with the system, suppressing the more complex details below the current level.[1]
Identifying examples of abstraction[edit]
(awaiting permission to post material)
Anytime you see a simple interface covering a more complex system, you should think "abstraction".
- A car is a very complex machine but the interface is simple (a steering wheel, a gas pedal and a gear shift)
- A video game controller only has a few buttons, but underneath the controller is complex control mechanism
- A programming language can be fairly simple, but it translates the instructions you write into machine code, which is impossibly complex
Do you understand this?[edit]
Standards[edit]
- Identify examples of abstraction
- Explain why abstraction is required in the derivation of computational solutions for a specified situation
- Construct an abstraction from a specified situation
- Distinguish between a real-world entity and its abstraction