Bits and Bytes - Lesson 1

8/12/2019 Bits and Bytes - Lesson 1

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Bits & Bytes: Lesson 1

Problem Solving in Life and Technology

How do we get there from here?

Problem solving skills are essential to success in every aspect of life. You depend upon these

skills for success in your personal life and finances, in your family and civic responsibilities,

and in your professional career. Everyone has skills in problem solving yet you may have

wondered how it is that some people are so good at it in some parts of their lives, but so

miserable at it in other parts. We all know individuals who have no “common sense” yet are

“book smart”, and we know others who have incredible skills for managing their personal

finances but fail miserably in their relationships. We find ourselves wondering how they and

at times, ourselves! can be so inconsistent in what appears to be simple problem solving

skills. "he truth of the matter is that problem solving is not simple. Problem solving skills

take practice and purposeful application of rules and processes to fit specific types of

problems. #ost people learn these skills through interactions with family and friends, in

school, or during career training. $ome of it is so ingrained in our personality that we are

unaware of our own thought processes. %or e&ample, when you get dressed in the morning,

you probably don't have to think through the articles of clothing you will need pants, a

shirt, ( socks, etc.!, and you probably don't consciously determine ahead of time what order

to put them on in.

"here are many different kinds of problems to be solved in life and in the field of computer

science, and conse)uently, there are different strategies to solve them. People engaged in

technology and computer science share this dependency upon e&traordinary problem

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solving skills for creating all of the conveniences, gadgets, and modern wonders we have

come to depend upon. et's start our discussion of problem solving with a description of

types of problems and e&plore how each of these types can be reflected in technology and

computer science. "hen, we'll look at the strategies to solve these types of problems, the

uni)ue strategies of solving problems in technology, and finally, consider ways to improve

one's problem solving skills. /s we go along you will have the opportunity to think about

problem solving from a personal perspective.

Problems with clear-ct answers and soltions

Problems with definite answers that are solved with prescriptive strategies are the type that

many of us spent years practicing in school. "hese are typically the problems at the end of

the chapter in a math, physics, or computer science te&tbook. We learned that in order to

get the right answers all we need to do is follow the rules described in the chapter. 0f only

life were so simple1 0ndividuals who are very adept at this type of problem solving are

sometimes called “book smart” and are very skilled at remembering the rules. $ometimes

this type of problem is referred to as being highly structured 2 no guess work re)uired.

0ndeed, some of life is clear3cut4 balancing your checkbook,

following a recipe, putting together a model, installing new

software, and writing a formula to calculate the average rainfall

for the year. 5nfortunately, most of the big challenges in life,

and in computer science, fall into other categories of problem

solving.

Problems with a fairly defined otcome bt with many soltion strategies

"hings start to get messy when we're confronted with problems that have a fairly defined

outcome but for which the solutions can be as varied as the individuals you meet in your

daily commute. "his type of problem confronts us on a daily basis. 0n comparison to clear3

cut problems and solutions, these problems are only moderately structured.

0n your personal life you need to feed yourself and perhaps a family.

"he defined outcome is that menus be nutritious, safe, and within

your budget but the solutions to the problem are as varied as the

cultures and tastes of the world1

E&amples of this type of problem in technology include a spreadsheet to plan a budget or a

6ob schedule to coordinate employee's shifts. "he solution is constrained by various factors

such as the number of employees, the duration of each shift, etc., but the form and design

of the solution can be )uite diverse. %or e&ample, creating the local area network for a small

business re)uires a fairly straightforward application of hardware, but analysis and

predictions of how employees will use the network, the volume of traffic, the future plans

for e&pansion, and the changing business needs, will all impact the final solution

possibilities.

"his type of problem re)uires not only the “book smarts” to identify the data re)uired and

the constraints of the problem, but also a certain level of creativity to imagine all the

possible solutions. "he technology that makes up everything from our home security

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systems to our automobiles, from appliances to personal entertainment devices, have

created a demand for individuals skilled in solving this type of problem.

Problems with no defined soltion or defined soltion strategy

7ow things are really getting complicated1 Problems with various acceptable solutions, no

known solution, or perhaps no solution at all, and a myriad of strategies to find an answermost yet undiscovered!, tend to frustrate us the most. "hey lack almost all structure so we

are left to fend for ourselves in order to create the structure through our own values and

priorities. We deal with problems in this category daily, but they often re)uire much more

time and effort to solve. We are confronted with )uestions such as- Where should 0 live8

What career should 0 train for8 What is the cure for cancer8 9ow do we achieve world

peace8 What is my purpose on this earth8

We also face this type of problem with technology in our lives. What computer system will

best fit my needs8 9ow do 0 select a communication service8 9ow should 0, personally, deal

with privacy and security8 What is my role as a cyber3citi:en8 $ometimes we can call in an

e&pert4 sometimes we 6ust have to solve the problems ourselves.

/nd of course, in the world of computer science,computer scientists, programmers, and others,

work to solve this type of problem as the very

core of their profession- 9ow can a network to

manage the pharmacy needs of customers across

the country or around the world be created8 9ow

can the huge amounts of data gathered by

national security e&perts be manipulated and

analy:ed to protect the lives and property of

citi:ens8 What simulation can be programmed to

predict, even divert, hurricanes8 What can be

done to minimi:e the effects of climate change8 0s there other life in the universe8 What

programming strategy will discover the essence of life reflected in our chromosomes8

"he good news is that this type of problem generates fun and creativity in life, and in

computer science1 "he bad news is that this type of problem solving re)uires effort,

knowledge, and a deliberate thought process for most of us. #ore good news is that

problem solving is a skill that can be learned and enhanced.

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!et "eal

/naly:e your ability to solve problems by thinking through the following )uestions.

*. $elect one area of your life to reflect upon 3 your hobby, 6ob, family, relationships, or

civic role. Which category of problem solving are you most comfortable with in this

life role8

/. Problems with clear cut answers and solutions.

+. Problems with fairly defined outcomes but many solutions.

<. =pen3ended problems where 0 can e&periment and be creative.

(. 9ow did you learn the skills to solve this particular type of problem in this part of

your life8

/. #y family modeled and reinforced these skills.

+. #y teachers taught these skills.

<. 0 learned them through trial and error.

>. 0 modeled after others who were successful in this role.

;. Which problem solving type offers the most difficulties in this life role8




?. %or each of the following problem solving categories, identify a life role for which this

is your best problem solving skill set. "hink about your life roles as a parent, a

friend, a volunteer, a student, a citi:en, or a wage earner.




@. /ssess your current problem solving skills in regard to technology. 0n which of thesetechnology areas have you encountered problems for which you have had the

problem solving skills to solve8

/. <onfiguring technology components such as entertainment systems

+. "rouble shooting or repairing hardware

<. 5sing software such as spreadsheets or audio editing software

>. <reating your own presence on the Web with a Web page or blog

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E. E&pressing creativity with graphic, music or video software

%. /naly:ing problems and writing computer programs to solve them

A. =ther specialty areas

B. >escribe a frustrating technology related problem which you recently encountered.

Cemember your comments4 we will return to this )uestion later.

Your answers will likely be different but here are some e&amples to get you thinking.

*. Dim might select her family role to think about these )uestions and decide she is

good at solving problems which have fairly defined answers but multiple solutions

strategies.

(. $he learned these skills as a child from her family who often discussed family and

world events in terms of the possibilities that e&isted for solutions.

;. "he problems that are totally open3ended present her with the most difficulties. $he

likes to find the best solution and it's difficult to recogni:e it with these types of

problems.

?. $he decides that she is best with problems that have clear3cut answers in her role as

an engineer technician. $he is also a good problem solver in her cooking hobby

because she likes to e&periment with recipes clipped from maga:ines. Dim is best at

solving totally open3ended problems in her role as park commissioner on the city

council.

@. +ecause of her engineering background, she is an e&cellent problem solver with

configuring technology components and trouble shooting hardware. $he has never

tried to write a computer program so she suspects it might be frustrating to start

with.

B. Cecently Dim created a blog to share her ideas and e&perience from her city councilwork. $he 6ust can't make it look professional or feel inviting.

@



Ste$ :

Search for Soltions

Ste$ .:

*m$lement the

Soltion

Ste$ 1:

"e$resent the

Problem

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“What is the goal of this presentation8”, “What constraints do 0 have in terms of e)uipment,

time, skills8”, and “What is possible 2 PowerPoint, chalk talk, slide show, or ive #eeting8”

You select a format for your presentation based upon your analysis, and after the event,

you criti)ue the outcome and add it to your list of e&periences to draw upon the ne&t time

you make a presentation. "his style of problem solving has likely served you very well.

"he *+%,L approach can be used in selecting computer components and software,configuring a local network, and writing computer programs to solve simple problems.

The /ircle-Bac0 odel

Cecent research into problem solving has found that there is considerably more to

effectively solving comple& problems than 6ust knowing the steps of some particular

techni)ue. #any problems must be approached from different angles through a process of

trial and error, so the opportunity to evaluate the outcome and try again is critical. "he

/ircle-Bac0 strategy is particularly effective in addressing technology3related problems,

especially the comple& problems that programmers work on. <reating software to model

weather patterns, or analy:e economic strategies, or control robots is not nearly as clear cutas the previous problem solving strategies would imply. "he /ircle-Bac0 strategy is used

when “failure is not an option”4 when the problem might be worked on indefinitely and it is

likely that it could take a great many cycles to arrive at a solution.

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(. Your 0$P 0nternet $ervice Provider! notifies you that your mailbo& has e&ceeded its

limit.

/. Ce)uest3Cesponse3Cesult

+. 0>E/

<. <ircle3+ack

;. Your engineering team is assigned to reprogram the assembly line robots at the local

automotive plant.


+. 0>E/

<. <ircle3+ack

?. Your supervisor asks you to analy:e recent sales data in a graphic format for the

department meeting.


+. 0>E/

<. <ircle3+ack

@. Your company receives the contract to customi:ing the medial records software for

the nearby hospital.


+. 0>E/

<. <ircle3back

/nswers-

*. +4 Cidding a system of a virus fits the *+%,L strategy because it has only one

acceptable solution but many possibilities in terms of the tools and processes to use,

as well as steps to insure future security.

(. /4 <learing an email account is a clear3cut problem with the re)uired response of

emptying one's mailbo& of unneeded files. 0t fits the "e#est-"es$onse-"eslt

strategy because there is only one outcome and one solution.

;. <4 >esigning robotic systems is very comple& with many possible solutions that fit

the /ircle-Bac0 strategy. Engineers will break the problem into small sub3problems

establishing sub3goals, creating solutions, testing, and evaluating, and likely revising

many times before constructing the entire system.?. +4 >esigning the graphics to represent given data fits the *+%,L strategy because

the outcome is fairly defined with several solutions to choose from for this single

situation.

@. <4 <ustomi:ing any system re)uires multiple cycles through the /ircle-Bac0 process

through thorough analysis of the situation, careful determination of the goals and

sub3goals, implementation of a detailed plan, and evaluation of its effectiveness.

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Strategy 2 3nowledge 4 %ffective Problem Solving

+ecause of recent research, we now recogni:e that understanding and applying a strategy

to a problem isn't enough to effectively solve the problem. Cesearchers have found that

there are many other factors that build good problem solving skills. 0n addition to selecting

an appropriate strategy to fit the problem, you must have a deep base of knowledge in the

sub6ect area of the problem. /dditionally, individuals need practice with a strategy within

the conte&t of real3world problems. "his new thinking on the importance of having a solid

base of knowledge in a particular sub6ect has changed the way educators and trainers teach

problem solving strategies.

"his must seem like a vicious circle4 how can you become a good problem solver without

knowledge and e&perience, both which re)uire problem solving skills to achieve8 #y advice

is to take it slow and easy, learn as you go, call for help when you need it, and continually

try to piece together what you already know about the topic with what you are e&periencing

in a current problem.

Self-Hel$ Strategies

*. $tart with a realistic assessment of what you know and the e&periences that can be

applied.

(. /naly:e the situation 2 break it into smaller challenges

;. >raw upon your e&periences with similar scenarios

?. %igure out what you need to know and where to find it

@. <ome up with a plan

B. 0mplement it

G. "est it

H. Cepeat as necessary

F. Evaluate the process and add to your e&periences account

Try it ot

0magine that you are having difficulties with the wireless network at home. 0t won't connect

each family member's computer to the printer in the home office. 0n a panicked attempt tosolve the problem, you unplugged everything, find the printer software, reinstalled it on

every computer, hook each computer directly to the printer in hopes of helping the

computers “find it”, and eventually give up and call upon the fifteen year3old living ne&t

door.

0f you had the opportunity to apply strategies learned in this lesson, what might you have

done differently8

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You would likely recogni:e that this is a problem that has only one acceptable outcome but

perhaps there are several actions that can be tried to correct the problem. 0f you could redo

the situation with the problem solving strategies you 6ust learned, you might have called in

the fifteen year old first 6ust kidding1!.

ikely you would have used the /ircle-Bac0 method with more time spent on the first step

of assessing the problem and recalling other e&periences you have had with the homenetwork. You might have begun the debugging process by

breaking it into smaller pieces 2 checking if each computer

had printer drivers, checking the wireless signal strength,

and the printer itself. You would have recalled what you

know about networks in general. Perhaps you would have

checked the computer manual to discover where network

settings are controlled, you might have searched for

pertinent information in the printer manual, and maybe

even checked online help forums. You probably would have telephoned a friend to gather

more insights from her e&periences. /fter learning all you could, and thinking about past

e&periences with your wireless network, you could formulate a plan of possible actions,

e&ecute each action, evaluate the results of each action, and try other strategies until theproblem was solved or until you decided to call in an e&pert.

<ertainly following a problem solving strategy doesn't guarantee successful results every

time. "hat is why the /ircle-Bac0 strategy is effective4 it's not an all3or3nothing scenario,

and it offers opportunities for organi:ed skill development both in the conte&t of the specific

problem at hand, and in problem solving in general.

!et "eal

ook back to the technology problem you described for )uestion B in the first “Aet Ceal”

section of this lesson2 >escribe a frustrating technology related problem which you recently

encountered. $olve it again in your imagination by using the strategies from this lesson to

identify how you might have arrived at a better solution with less frustration.

0n hindsight, what learning occurred in that e&perience that you can apply to a future

situation8

Your answers will likely be different but here is what Dim might have said-

Cecently Dim created a blog to share her ideas and e&periences from her city council work.

$he 6ust can't make it look professional or feel inviting.

9er revised strategy-

*. Dim knows nothing about blogs but can draw upon her e&periences writing council

reports for the mayor.

(. "he task can be broken into smaller problems- understanding how blogs work,

creating an attractive online persona, and developing a 6ournal writing style.

*(

+ebgging

3 / method of discovering

the source of errors

causing problems in a



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;. 0n college she was a reporter for the school newspaper which offered a similar

e&perience.

?. $he decides she needs to learn about blogs, so she will visit several and ask a

blogging friend for advice.

@. 9er plan includes researching blog sites for

helpful hints, finding a site that offers an

appealing interface, and sharing her entries

with family and friends before posting.

B. $he plans to create a time schedule with several sub3goals to make the pro6ect

manageable.

G. /fter implementing her plan she will test it by seeking input from citi:ens, evaluating

the impact of her ideas, and then continue to grow and mature in the world of blogs

by modifying her work as indicated from the feedback and self evaluations.

0n hindsight, Dim knows that this frustrating e&perience taught her that time spent gaining

knowledge and looking at good e&amples is time well spent and that writing is a skill which

can be transferred to new technologies.

5ormali6ing a $lan of attac0

/ll of us have a whole collection of rules we recite to help us

with our grammar or to calculate the tip amount. "hese

general “rules of thumb” are called heuristics. "hey provide

a general plan for solving problems. "he strategies for

solving problems described earlier in this lesson fall into the

category of heuristics4 they offer general guidance for our

actions. <omputer programmers use problem solving

strategies 2 or heuristics 2 to arrive at the general, overall,

plain language solutions to solve problems using computers. 9owever, computers cannot

interpret our normal language4 they do not make assumptions, draw conclusions, or

interpret our meaning. +ecause computers cannot read our minds yet1!, the instructions

they follow must be e&tremely detailed and presented in a logical order that leaves nothing

to guess work. "his begins the action phase 2 writing software 2 for solving problems using

computers.

*;

*nterface

3 "he medium through

which users interact with

the computer. 0t might

include button and menus.

Heristic

3 / general guideline or

rule3of3thumb for

solving problems.



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,lgorithms 7 The "eci$e in /om$ter Science

Writing software, even simple programs, re)uires a detailed

series of steps for the computer to follow. <omputer

programmers, sometimes called “software developers”,begin by creating a se)uential list of tasks which the

computer must perform in order to arrive at a solution.

"his task list must be translated into a specific language

which the computer can understand. "his list of steps is

called an algorithm. >on't let the word scare you. /lgorithm

is 6ust a technical term for “recipe.” <reating an algorithm re)uires critical thinking about

the problem plus careful analysis of the situation, and goes hand3in3hand with problem

solving strategies.

"o think about the detailed re)uirements of a computer

program try this- Write out the instructions for making

your favorite sandwich. 7ow, pretend you are a robot that

has no history of food preparation, and no e&perience with

making a sandwich. Envision what happens when you

e&ecute the step to “"op with brown mustard and slice.”

Will the robot know you mean to open the 6ar of mustard,

scoop * teaspoon from the 6ar, spread it evenly over the

pastrami, top with another slice of bread ideally taken from the wrapper1!, and use a knife

to cut from corner to corner8 0t's likely that the assumptions another human would make

about creating a sandwich would be skipped by the robot and you would end up with the 6ar

of mustard sitting on top of the meat and a big mess when an attempt to “slice” occurs.

Writing a computer program involves a detailed algorithm containing the e&act steps to

e&ecute in order to arrive at the desired outcome. et's look at the algorithm for a task a

computer could be programmed to complete 2 calculating the total cost of the pi::a youordered.

0nputs 0ngredients!-

• 7eed to know the si:e of the pi::a ordered

• 7eed to know the price list of the restaurant

• 7eed to know the number of e&tra toppings ordered

/lgorithm Cecipe!-

• #ultiply the number of e&tras by .G@

• /dd the cost of the e&tras to the base price

• #ultiply the new subtotal by .B for sales ta&

• /dd the ta& to the subtotal

*?

,lgorithm

3 / precise andsystematic method for

solving a problem.

%8ecte

3 "o carry out a specificinstruction step such as

a command in a

computer program.



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• /dd a delivery charge of ;.

• Print all charges and the total in itemi:ed list

/fter this planning step, the plain language instructions of the algorithm are translated into

a programming language. "here are many languages that programmers use tocommunicate with computers. Perhaps you have heard of Jisual +asic, <K, or Lava. 0n later

lessons we will e&plore algorithms to describe various tasks computers are often e&pected

to accomplish and how languages are used to describe specific tasks to a computer.

earning a computer language is not too unlike learning another speaking language such as

%rench or $panish. You decide what you want to say and then select the words to convey

that meaning. +ut, more about that laterM

!et "eal

Write the directions for making a pastrami sandwich as an algorithm. +e as specific as

possible.

Your answer might be a bit different but this is how 0 make a pastrami sandwich.

0nputs 0ngredients!-

• +read

•

Pastrami• #ustard

/lgorithm Cecipe!-

• ocate the loaf of bread on the counter

• =pen the package of bread at one end

• Cemove ( slices

• %rom the refrigerator, get the package of pastrami and the 6ar of mustard

• =pen the package of pastrami

•

Place ( slices on the face of one piece of bread• =pen the 6ar of mustard

• 5sing a knife, scoop out an amount about the si:e of a marble

• 5se the knife to spread it evenly on the top surface of the pastrami

• Place the second slice of bread on top of the pastrami and mustard taking care to

line up the edges

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• 5se the knife to cut the sandwich in half diagonally from the top left corner to the

bottom right

• Place the sandwich on a plate, carry to a comfortable location, and en6oy1

Smmary

ife presents us with problems every day, and thank goodness, problem solving is a learned

skill. "o become more effective, it is helpful to analy:e the type of problem being confronted

and select a strategy that fits the specific problem type. Problems can be categori:ed as-

• problems with clear3cut answers and solutions

• problems with a fairly defined outcome and many possible solutions

• problems with no defined outcome or defined solution strategy

$olution strategies can take the form of-

• Ce)uest3Cesponse3Cesult

• 0>E/

• <ircle3+ack

/ny solution strategy is most effective if it fits the needs of the problem presented. 0n

addition to being able to analy:e the type of problems being confronted and fitting an

appropriate strategy to it, gathering knowledge of the topic is a vital element for success.

"echnology helps us solve trivial, or clear3cut problems, as well as more comple& problems

that, until recently, were totally unsolvable. <omputer scientists use heuristics to develop

algorithms as a critical step in the problem solving process because computers can only

follow very specific directions. / heuristic is a general guideline or “rule3of3thumb” forsolving a problem. /n algorithm is a detailed instruction list for accomplishing a task which

can be translated into a specific computer language.

Loin me in our ne&t lesson when we further e&plore how computers can solve problems by

modeling the real world and we delve into some of the inside details of computer science

and programming.

*B

Bits and Bytes - Lesson 1

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