Algorithmic Thinking

You've broken the problem down.
You've spotted the patterns.
You've filtered out the information you don't need.

Excellent.

Now we need to actually do something.

Algorithmic thinking is the process of developing a clear, logical sequence of steps that can be followed to solve a problem or complete a task.

In simpler terms:

Work out what needs to happen, and in what order.

Because sometimes having all the right steps isn't enough.

The order matters.

We use algorithms all the time.

You probably followed several before you even left the house this morning.

Think about brushing your teeth.

You might:

1. Pick up the toothbrush
2. Put toothpaste on it
3. Brush your teeth
4. Rinse your mouth
5. Put the toothbrush away

Nothing particularly revolutionary there.

But let's rearrange things:

1. Put the toothbrush away
2. Rinse your mouth
3. Brush your teeth
4. Put toothpaste on the toothbrush
5. Pick up the toothbrush

We still have many of the correct actions.

They're just spectacularly unhelpful in that order.

A good algorithm needs the right instructions in a logical sequence.

If the robot puts the peanut butter jar on top of the bread again, we may need to revisit step one. 

You can decompose problems.

You can recognise patterns.

You can abstract what matters.

You can develop algorithms.

So... are we finally ready to code?