The Story: Grandpa Jacques is planning a trip from Lyon to Vienna. He’s not a fan of complicated apps, but his mind works like a Swiss watch. How does he do it?
- Decomposition(Division): Jacques doesn’t look at the route as a whole. He breaks it down into stages: getting to the station, changing trains in Munich, and checking into the hotel.
- Abstraction (the heart of the matter): When he looks at the train map, he ignores the colors of forests or rivers. He focuses on only one thing: the transfer time. The rest is noise.
- Pattern Recognition: Jacques knows that trains on this route are often 5 minutes late, so he always plans to have a coffee at the station between connections. He uses his experience to predict the future.
- Algorithm (Instructions): He has a piece of paper in his pocket: “1. Buy a ticket, 2. Validate it, 3. Find the platform, 4. Check the car number.” This is his own code for a successful vacation.
What Jacques does is called Computational Thinking by computer scientists. It is nothing more than the ability to solve problems effectively by organizing them logically.
Why is it important for seniors?
The world is becoming digital, but the rules of logic have remained the same for centuries. Mastering these “steps” not only allows you to use a tablet better, but above all to keep your mind sharp and your confidence intact in any situation – whether at the bank or at a train station in a foreign city.
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