1. Lesson Objectives Aims You should be able to:
Identify points in a solution where a decision must be made
Determine logical conditions that affect the outcome of a decision
Determine how decisions affect flow through a program
Determine parts of a problem that can be tackled at the same time
Outline the benefits and trade offs that might result from concurrent processing in a solution

2. Note
Before we start:
You should’ve realised before now that this entire section is based on concepts that will make you a better programmer
There is no easy way to learn these techniques and “thinking logically” and the like will only come with practise
Some of these specification objectives are only possible to learn when you are coding a solution and solving the unique problems that arise
There is an expectation in 6th form that you care about the subjects you take and are motivated, without us telling you, to study outside of school
Studying programming shouldn’t be seen as a hassle, it should be something that you’re interested in, motivated to do and want to learn by yourself
If you are not programming now, you are already falling behind.

3. This whole course is about thinking logically
It is the process of being able to:
Identify a problem
Break it down (decomposition)
Removing unnecessary complications and focussing on the true problem (abstraction)
Identifying concurrency, algorithms, efficiency savings etc
Designing the solution

4. Logic
Thinking logically mainly focusses on the ability to solve a given problem
You are only using a small set of rules or syntax to enable you to do this
What are the steps that must be taken?
In what order?
What is the eventual goal?
What decisions must be made?

5. Problem
The problem with “teaching” logical thought is that…. You either can or can’t!
You will only get better through practise and by solving problems by creating code
And inevitably debugging that code
So the coding challenges are incredibly important

6. Concurrency
Concurrency is the idea of doing multiple things at the same time
Some problems are very sequential in their nature- things must happen in order and each step relies on the previous
Some are much more parallel:
Whilst the kettle is boiling…
Go and get a cup and put a tea bag in it
Get the milk and pour in to the cup

7. This is made possible in modern machines through multi core processors
Concurrency
This is made possible in modern machines through multi core processors
But concurrency does not only apply to computers – we can use it to:
Model projects
Suggest time savings in existing processes
Manage human resources

8. Benefits and Trade-offs of Concurrency
Faster processing
More things can happen during the same time window
Energy efficiencies
As more is being done each cycle, we use less energy
Efficient use of resources
Less idle processor time, more time available for other tasks
Less apparent lag when running a program

9. Not suitable for all tasks
Increased complexity
Programs must be specifically designed to work concurrently (threading)
Compilers need to be able to explicitly target multi-core architectures
Not suitable for all tasks
It is not possible to make all problems concurrent
Does not provide a doubling of speed
Some tasks may be more/less concurrent than others
Some threads may have to wait for the outcome of others to proceed

10. Practice paper – 1b
A flight simulator is being developed to help train pilots…