Decomposition and Abstraction

Understanding Decomposition

Decomposition involves breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller parts that are easier to understand, analyse and solve.
It is a key concept in problem-solving used to simplify complex problems. By breaking a problem down into manageable parts, each part becomes a smaller, easier problem to solve.
Each smaller problem can be solved independently before the solutions are combined to solve the original problem.

Applying Decomposition

Start by identifying the main task and then break it down into subtasks. Keep breaking these down until you reach a level of simplicity that can be easily solved.
For example, creating a computer game can be decomposed into subtasks like: designing the characters, creating the game world, programming the game logic, and implementing the user interface.

Benefits of Decomposition

It allows complex problems to be tackled by a team where each person works on a different part of the problem simultaneously.
It helps in producing a modular approach to problem solving. Each module can then be tested independently, and used or modified without affecting other parts of the solution.

Understanding Abstraction

Abstraction is another key concept in computer science. It involves removing or ignoring the less important details of a problem to focus on the more important ones.
It can be considered as a way of simplifying a problem by filtering out the unnecessary information and focusing on the aspects that are needed to solve the problem.
Abstraction allows us to generalise a problem by focusing on the high-level view or concept without dealing with the low-level details.

Applying Abstraction

Start by identifying the core aspects or key features of the problem. Discard or ignore the extraneous details that don’t directly contribute to the solution.
For example, in designing an online shopping system, abstraction might focus on core features like choosing products, adding to a shopping cart, and payment process. Details like the colour of the buttons or the design of the header might be ignored at this stage.

Benefits of Abstraction

It makes problem-solving efficient because it allows focus to be on the most critical parts of a problem.
Abstraction enables us to reuse concepts or solutions across similar problems by focusing on what is common or important across those problems.
It assists in managing complexity, keeping the problem manageable and avoid getting lost in unnecessary details.

Interplay of Decomposition and Abstraction

Decomposition and abstraction often go hand in hand in problem solving. Decomposition assists in breaking down a complex problem into simpler parts, while abstraction focuses on the important aspects, ignoring unnecessary details.
Together, they provide a framework for approaching problems systematically and thoroughly.
Upon understanding both concepts, one can employ them not only in computer science but in daily problem solving too.