Unplugged Activity Real Life Algorithms: Planting a Seed
algorithm
This lesson is called planting
a seed, and it's going to help us understand algorithms. Algorithms are specific instructions
that explain the order in which to do something. Even every day things like eating breakfast
or brushing your teeth are algorithms that require small steps to get a job done. Computers
can be really smart, but they can only understand you if you tell them exactly what you want,
step by step. The great thing about algorithms is that if you follow the instructions in
order, you can do something that you didn't know how to do ahead of time. It's like following
a recipe. Today we're going to plant our own seeds using an algorithm. So first we have
to fill the pot with soil right? I don't think we have to put glue on the seed. Right. Create
your own algorithm by cutting apart the pictures. Select the pictures that show steps in planting
a seed, and then arrange those pictures in the correct order. Now, it's time for you
to see if your algorithm works. Follow the steps in the algorithm very carefully. Are
they in the correct order? Did you succeed in planting a seed by following the algorithm?
It's like programming with pictures!
When we want to make chocolate, there are many
big steps to that process. And each of those big steps has its own set of smaller steps.
And there are different recipes, or algorithms, depending on how we want the chocolate to
taste. Each step is important, even the small ones. So without one step, the rest of them
could not be completed. Creating algorithms that others can understand is really important.
That's why each step has to be written down so that no matter who does it, the result
is the same.