Introduction to Abstraction

Overview

• This video is the first in a series of four about thinking abstractly.
• Focus on the nature of abstraction.
• Abstraction is the process of removing unnecessary details which helps to highlight important once

Concepts of Abstraction

• Art Example: Abstract painting reveals/exaggerates details for visual style.
• Computer Systems:
  • Use of symbols, legends, color coding, and icons to represent features.
  • Icons suggest functions/processes simply and efficiently.
• Daily Life: Abstraction is not just in computer science; it's everywhere.
  • Example: Images of a cat with varying abstraction levels.

Maps as an Example

• Maps are great examples of abstraction used in the video series.
• Abstraction has wide-reaching uses beyond maps.

Key Question

• "What do we mean by the term abstraction?" should be answerable after the video.

Additional Resources

• Free downloadable cheat sheet available at student.craiganddave.org.
  • Contains a basic overview and detailed explanations of computational thinking.

Conclusion

• Introduction to different forms of abstraction.
• Further details available in additional videos in the AQA series.