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This lesson is called dice race. Almost everyone
likes to play computer games. Have you ever
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thought about how computer programmers turn
the steps of a game into a program? The first
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step in creating computer games and in solving
any problem requires thinking and planning.
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The thinking step of problem solving produces
an algorithm, which is a step by step plan
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for solving a problem or finishing a task.
In this lesson, you'll create an algorithm
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for a dice race game. Then you'll ask your
friends to try out your plan to see if they
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can follow the steps to play the game. After
the programmer is sure the steps are correct,
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it's time to translate the algorithm into
a program with language that the computer
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can understand. Almost everything we do every
day requires an algorithm, a list of steps
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you can follow to finish a task. Think about
getting ready for school or planning a fun
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day with your friends or fixing a snack. To
complete any of those tasks, you'll need to
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break it down into smaller steps and sometimes
the steps must be in a specific order. Think
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about making a sandwich. It doesn't matter
which ingredient you get out of the cabinet
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first. But you can't spread the peanut butter
until you open the jar. Computers need algorithms
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and programs to show them how to do even simple
things that we can do without thinking about
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it. An algorithm is the thinking behind what
needs to happen while the program is the actual
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instructions given to the computer to make
it happen. An algorithm has to be translated
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into a program before a computer can run it.
Breaking a task into steps called an algorithm
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is sometimes difficult. But like any new skill,
it gets easier and easier with practice.
