New Mexico Computer Science For All Abstraction in Life and Computer Science Maureen Psaila-Dombrowski

What is Abstraction? Abstraction  Ignoring some details or parts so that you can focus on what is important to you at that time.  As your interests change the amount of abstraction you need can change too. Levels of Abstraction  These are the levels or layers in your abstraction.  The layer in your abstraction includes things that can be grouped together in the same way.

Some Types of Abstraction Physical Abstraction ▫Levels - physical parts of an object. Modeling Abstraction ▫Levels - what you want to include in a model. Control Abstraction ▫Levels - how something is controlled Data Abstraction ▫Levels - some characteristic of the data and how you want to use it.

What? No Way! I never do that….. Yes you do… you are doing it right now! Everyone uses abstraction – otherwise …. Your brain automatically filters or abstracts ▫Sights ▫Sounds Your mind automatically changes levels of abstraction ▫Driving, walking ▫Looking for a friend in a crowd

Applying Abstraction in Everyday Life Abstraction  Simplification to what’s important.  Focus on the important part  Ignore the other parts until later, if at all Powerful!  Don’t waste time and energy  Make’s things manageable, doable  Then use decomposition to figure out the steps

Applying Abstraction in Everyday Life: Go to a Amusement Park

Abstraction: Go to a Amusement Park

Applying Abstraction: CAR

Driver Automotive Engineer Mechanic Car Parts Designer Materials Engineer Mechanical Engineer Physicist

Applying Abstraction: Modeling Driving a Car

CAR Accelerator Brake

Applying Abstraction: Modeling Driving a Car CAR Accelerator Brake Wipers Indicator Mirrors Gas Guage

One Last Abstraction: After learning about what is inside a computer, You realize that a computer can be abstracted as follows

Computer Programmer System Designer Average Person One Last Abstraction: Hardware Engineer

Computer Programmer Operating System Designer One Last Abstraction: YOU Before this Class Average Person

Computer Programmer Operating System Designer One Last Abstraction: YOU Before this Class YOU After this Class Average Person

Summary Abstraction - simplification, focus only on the important parts Levels of Abstraction - each level includes things that can be grouped together. You already use abstraction all the time You can apply abstraction to different things and for different reasons ▫Objects ▫Models