Graph Paper Programming

The Graph Paper Programming activity will help you:

• Understand why clear instructions are important for programming

• Understand how images are formed from numerical data in a computer

• Understand the basic concepts of coding 

• Confidently write pseudocode

Required Materials/Resources

• 2 or more people for collaboration

• A pen or pencil

• Colored pencils, pens or crayons, in red, green, and blue

Keywords:

Algorithm - A list of instructions a machine can follow to complete a task such as calculations.

Program - The process of creating an algorithm for a computer to follow.

Encoded Instruction - Using a separate word or symbol to relay information such as pointing in a direction instead of describing the direction to look.

Background:

Computers are prevalent in our everyday lives, from offices, to airplanes, and even our phones. Many things around us rely on computers, but how do computers do what we tell them to do? Do they have brains that let them understand us? The short answer is no, but rather they get their instructions through code. Code is simply just a list of instructions for a computer to follow, and it will do so in the order it reads it from, typically from left to right and top to bottom, just like how we read. The main difference between us and a computer is the fact that if there is a mistake in a book such as having a misspelled word we can typically understand what the writer was trying to say, but if a computer code has a mistake in it the computer will still try to do whatever it was told even if it is incorrect. This is why computer programmers have to be very specific with what they are telling the computer to do.