Computational Thinking
Lecture 1: Introduction
University of Engineering and Technology
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HANOI
Outline
▪ Real-life Examples
▪ Problem-solving Thinking
▪ What is Computational Thinking?
▪ What is Programming?
▪ Getting Started with Python
1
Real-life Examples
Single-Player Games
Tetris Sudoku
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Multiplayer Games
Rock Paper Scissors Tic Tac Toe
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The notion of ‘Problem’
Problem
(to be solved)
Win the game!
(Optimal solution)
Thinking
(Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, Algorithm, etc.)
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Real-life Problem – Expense Management
Problem:You have X million
VND/month to cover your
living cost in Hanoi.
Factors: Unexpected
expenses, necessity.
Algorithm?
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Real-life Problem – Optimal Route Finding
Problem: Find an optimal
route from location A
(e.g.,“Nga Tu So”) to location
B (e.g.,VNU-UET)
Factors: Traffic jams,
weather, transportation
means.
Algorithm?
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Problem-solving Thinking
Problem-solving Thinking
Problem-solving thinking is the process of understanding a problem,
exploring possible solutions, and designing a clear, step-by-step
method (algorithm) to solve it.
Problem Solution Idea Algorithm
A question or A general idea to A clear, step-by-step
situation that needs to reach the goal. procedure or
be solved. instructions
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The Power of Computers
in Supporting Problem-solving
Vs.
Aspect Human Brain Computer
Creativity Creative, intuitive, can imagine new ideas No creativity, only follows instructions
Problem Handles only small-scale or simple Can solve very large, complex problems
Size problems effectively with big data
Extremely fast with millions of
Speed Slow with large-scale calculations
operations
Accuracy Prone to errors, distraction, fatigue Always precise, consistent, no fatigue
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Problem-solving with Computational Thinking
Problem Solution Idea Algorithm Code
Python
Given a list of Value comparison Instructions via
implementation
numbers, find the Pseudo code
largest one.
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Problem-solving with Computational Thinking
Scope of Computational Thinking
Problem Solution Idea Algorithm Code
Python
Given a list of Value comparison Instructions via
implementation
numbers, find the Pseudo code
largest one.
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What is Computational
Thinking?
Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking (CT) is a problem-solving approach that
uses concepts from computer science to design solutions which
can be carried out by humans or computers.
Computational
Thinking
Pattern Algorithm
Decomposition Abstraction
Recognition Design
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Decomposition
Break a big problem into smaller, manageable parts.
Example: Write a program to calculate area of a rectangle
Decompose the big problem → smaller steps are easier to solve.
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Pattern Recognition
Find similarities or repeated elements.
Example: Print even numbers from 1–10
Patterns help us create general rules for many cases.
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Abstraction
Focus on important details, ignore the irrelevant
Example: Write a function: Add two integer numbers.
Simplify complexity by showing only the useful details.
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Algorithm Design
Create step-by-step instructions to solve the problem.
Example: Find the largest number in a given list
Algorithms are precise recipes to solve problems.
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What is programming?
What is programming?
Given a set of instructions and a task, write a sequence of
instructions that do the task.
This is Scratch
at code.org
Kids' games,
actually
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/6
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What about programming in Python?
Same process: same task,
a different set of instructions
https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/online-compiler/
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More complicated tasks?
Your turn.
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/11
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A little bit about
variables, values, and expressions
▪ Values/Objects
▪ Numbers 1 -2.5
▪ Logical values True False
▪ Strings 'Hello' "Hello" "It's a good day, today"
▪ List [1,2,3] ["it's", "a", "good", "day"]
▪ Tuple ('Math', 8.4) (‘John', ‘English', 84)
▪ Dictionary {'Math': 8.4, 'English': 9.0, 'Physics': 6.5}
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/11
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Expressions
▪ An expression represents something
▪ Python evaluates it (turns it into a value)
▪ Similar to a calculator
▪ Examples:
▪ 2.3
▪ (3 * 7 + 2) * 0.1
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Storing and Computing Data
What data might we want to work with?
(What’s on your computer?)
▪ Values/Objects
▪ Numbers 1 -2.5
▪ Logical values True False
▪ Strings 'Hello' "Hello" "It's a good day, today"
▪ List [1,2,3] ["it's", "a", "good", "day"]
▪ Tuple ('Math', 8.4) (‘John', ‘English', 84)
▪ Dictionary {'Math': 8.4, 'English': 9.0, 'Physics': 6.5}
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Variables
We need names to refer to pieces of data
▪ Variables: names of objects
▪ x = 5
▪ x = 10 * 2
▪ numbers = [1,2,3]
▪ numbers is now a name of the list [1,2,3].
▪ numbers = [1.2, 354.2, 7.3]
▪ numbers is now a name of the second list
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Variables…
We need to define a name before it can be used
score is used before
being defined
score is used after
having been defined
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More games
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/7
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Loops
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/7
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Loops
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/7
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Repetition In Python
You can do other things in a for loop
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More games
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/27/levels/3
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More games
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/27/levels/3
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More complicated logic
▪ Using as few
blocks as
possible to get
the bee to take
all the flower’s
nectar
▪ What are the
tasks that are
pretty much the
same?
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/14/levels/5
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More complicated logic
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/14/levels/5
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More complicated logic
▪ Using as few
blocks as
possible to
get the
zombie to the
flower
▪ What are the
tasks that are
pretty much
the same?
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/14/levels/8
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More complicated logic
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More complicated logic
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Important point: Dividing into subtasks
▪ Divide main task into subtasks, find patterns
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Important point: Dividing into subtasks
▪ Divide further
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More games?
You can practice by playing games here
▪ https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/less
ons/14/levels/1
▪ https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/less
ons/15/levels/1
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Selection
Check underneath every cloud to see if it is hiding a flower before
you get nectar.
If there is a flower
underneath the cloud, the bee will
need to get nectar
once.
Remember:
Not all clouds
hide the same
thing!
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/17/levels/3
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Selection
Collect all of the nectar or make all the honey.
You can only collect
nectar from flowers
and make honey
from honeycombs.
Check any space
to see
if there is a flower
or honeycomb.
There will only ever
be one flower
or one honeycomb
behind each cloud.
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/17/levels/12
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Selection
Collect all of the nectar or make all the honey.
You can only collect
nectar from flowers
and make honey
from honeycombs.
Check any space
to see
if there is a flower
or honeycomb.
There will only ever
be one flower
or one honeycomb
behind each cloud.
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/17/levels/12
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Selection in Python
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Scratch vs. Python
Can you see how similar a “program in Scratch” to a program
in Python?
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So… what is programming?
▪ In this game
▪ Arrange the blocks in the right sequence
▪ Run to see if it does the job correctly
▪ See where it goes wrong
▪ Fix the sequence
▪ In professional terms
▪ Write some code
▪ Test the code
▪ Debug
▪ Fix errors
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/11
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But… how?
▪ Think in the given
programming language
▪ How to tell the machine to
do the task using that
language?
▪ Divide the task into smaller
subtasks
▪ Keep dividing subtasks into
even smaller ones, until each
task can be done by one
instruction in the given set.
https://studio.code.org/courses/express-2025/units/1/lessons/1/levels/11
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Not sure what that means?
Don't worry.
Try playing with Scratch at code.org.
Practice solving problems by programming.
Bit by bit, you'll see!
Happy coding!
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How to run a Python program
Getting Started with Python
▪ Designed to be used from the “command line”
▪ OS X/Linux: Terminal
▪ Windows: PowerShell
▪ Preferred over cmd
▪ See Lab instructions
▪ Install, then type “python”
▪ Starts the interactive mode
▪ Type commands at >>>
▪ Quit by typing quit()
then pressing Return
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Running a module
Module text file add.py
x = 'Hello'
y = x + ' World'
From the command line, type:
python <module filename>
Nothing happen?
Actually, something did
Example: happen: Python executed all
the commands in that file.
C:\> python add.py
They just don't do anything
except assign some variables.
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Running a module
Edit the file add.py
x = 'Hello'
y = x + ' World'
print("y = " + y)
Run it again:
C:\> python add.py
y = Hello World
Now it showed something!
That's the result of the print statement.
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Running a more interesting module
Module file guess.py
"""A really bad guessing game."""
user_guess = input('What word am I thinking of? ')
print('Wrong. I am not thinking of '
+ user_guess + '.') The input
function displays
Command line: a prompt and
C:\> python guess.py waits for an
What word am I thinking of? cat input.
Wrong. I am not thinking of cat.
Here, we typed
cat as an input
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Interactive mode _ typing code
C:\> python
Python 3.4.0 (v3.4.0:04f714765c13, Mar 16 2014, 19:25:23…
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more …
>>> x = 'Hello'
>>> y = x + ' World'
>>> y
'Hello World'
>>>
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Interactive mode _ import a module
Import a .py file
C:\> python
>>> import add
y = Hello World
>>>
Remember the file add.py? x = 'Hello'
The statement import add y = x + ' World'
(no extension .py) runs the print("y = " + y)
script add.py
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Summary: Three ways to execute code
1. Typing code in interactive mode.
2. Importing a module.
3. Running a script.
Now you can go ahead installing Python in your computer
and run all the sample codes.
Have fun!
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If you do not want to install Python,
how can we do?
There are numerous
Online IDE that
support python
programming:
online-python.com
pythononline.net
onlinegdb.com
…
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Jupyter Notebook with Google Colab
https://colab.research.google.com/
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Summary - Key Takeaways
▪ Problem-solving (with Computational) Thinking
▪ Problem → Solution Idea → Algorithm → Code
▪ Computational Thinking
▪ Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, Algorithm
Design
▪ What is Programming
▪ Programming = writing instructions so that a computer
can perform a task.
▪ Getting Started with Python
▪ Variable,Value, Expression, Loops, Selection
▪ Learning by doing
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