You use code to tell a computer what to do. Before you write code you need an algorithm.

An algorithm is a list of rules to follow in order to solve a problem.

Algorithms need to have their steps in the right order. Think about an algorithm for getting dressed in the morning. What if you put on your coat before your jumper? Your jumper would be on top of your coat and that would be silly! When you write an algorithm the order of the instructions is very important.

Watch this video and find out what algorithms are.

How do we use algorithms in our everyday lives?

I need to make a cake

The algorithm here is a cake recipe. You can find the algorithm to solve this problem in a cookbook!

I can't find the park

The algorithm you need is a set of directions to get to the park. There might be different ways to the park so you can have different algorithms.

I need to build a toy

The algorithm to follow here is the list of instructions that tell you how to make the toy.

What is Code

When you learn to code you can make things happen on your computer.

You can make anything you want with code. It could be a game, some pictures or a film.

Computer code is a set of rules or instructions. It is made up of words and numbers and when you put them in the right order it will tell your computer what you want it to do. You can program lots of things with code.

Watch this video to find out more about coding.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3tbwmn/articles/zykx6sg

Play this game

What are computer bugs

When you write code, it's easy to make a mistake. Coding mistakes are called bugs.

Imagine you have written some code to make a game. You want your robot to move forwards when you press the arrow key, but the robot goes backwards!

When your code goes wrong, you need to check your algorithm and then check your code. When you have found and fixed your mistakes you can try the game again.

Bugs - an annoying problem or helpful challenge?

Bugs can be seen as a problem. If you made a game for someone and it had bugs, it would be a problem for the person using it. That is why fixing bugs is so important!

But they can also be seen as a challenge. They are part of the fun of coding. You just need find them and fix them. It is all part of learning to be a coder!

Robots are machines. There are lots of types of robots. They move in different ways and do all kinds of jobs.

Because a robot is a machine we have to program it to do things. It only does what we tell it to do

At school you might have tried to program a floor robot.

open this link and see how to make a robot work

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z3tbwmn/articles/zqnc4wx

There are lots of types of computer games. You can solve puzzles, make things run and jump, drive a car or play a sport.

Computer games work by setting a task you need to do. When you finish one task you can move on to a new one.

When you make a game, you can decide what the tasks are and set the rules. You can make a computer game using code.

Watch this video to find out more about how to make a game.

https://youtu.be/Ex1ktxOxVgI

What goes into making a computer game?

Pictures

Pictures are a very important part of a computer game. How a game looks can help us decide if it is for children or grown-ups.

Algorithms

You need algorithms in a computer game. Algorithms will set the rules for the game and how we can win prizes or lose points.

Code

Computer games are built using code so you will need to write some.

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