The Six Principles
This principle involves breaking a problem down into smaller, manageable steps or sub-procedures.
What is Thinking Procedurally?
This visual representation uses standardized symbols like diamonds for decisions and rectangles for processes.
What is a Flowchart?
This logical operator returns true only if both conditions being tested are true.
What is AND?
This algorithm visits every element in a list one by one until a specific value is found.
What is a Sequential (Linear) Search?
What is a Summation (or running total) algorithm?
What is a Gantt Chart?
This involves identifying the necessary information while ignoring irrelevant details to simplify a problem.
What is Thinking Abstractly?
This is the specific "language" used in IB exams to express algorithms, sitting halfway between English and code.
What is Pseudocode?
This operator returns true if at least one of the conditions being tested is true.
What is OR?
This algorithm iterates through an array, comparing adjacent elements and swapping them if they are in the wrong order.
What is a Bubble Sort?
This is the TOK concept associated with using a "map" to represent a physical territory as a form of abstraction.
What is The map is not the territory?
This principle requires identifying when decisions must be made and the specific conditions that trigger different actions.
What is Thinking Logically?
This term describes a collection of data of the same type, stored in a linear sequence.
What is an Array?
This logical structure allows a program to choose between two different paths based on a condition.
What is an IF...THEN...ELSE statement?
This process involves going through an algorithm step-by-step with sample data to verify its correctness.
What is a Dry Run (or Trace)?
This programming approach involves implementing parts of a solution at the same time to save time.
What is Concurrent Processing?
This "thinking" style involves identifying required inputs, outputs, and pre-conditions before an algorithm begins.
What is Thinking Ahead?
This is the name for a self-contained block of code that performs a specific task and can be called by an identifier.
What is a Sub-procedure (or function/method)?
This term refers to an error-handling requirement where you identify unusual cases that could break a solution.
What are Exceptions?
This value is used to determine the maximum or minimum number in a list during a standard "find max" algorithm.
What is a Sentinel Value (or temporary max variable)?
This group of people is essential to liaise with to evaluate if a computational solution is successful.
What are Clients (or Stakeholders)?
This principle involves a process that calls itself to solve a problem, effectively solving a smaller version of the same task.
What is Thinking Recursively?
These two conditions describe the state of a system before and after an algorithm is executed.
What are Pre-conditions and Post-conditions?
This is the specific type of test that results in a value of either True or False.
What is a Boolean Test?
This type of algorithm is used to add up all the values stored in a numerical array.
What is a Summation (or running total) algorithm?
This is the primary reason the guide suggests using sub-procedures when solving complex problems.
What is Modularity (or code reuse/abstraction)?