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AIEP Send-off Training 2022

Session 2 Middle School

Elements of Computational Thinking: Decomposition

Computational thinking (CT) is an approach in which you break down
problems into distinct parts, look for similarities, identify the relevant
information and opportunities for simplification, and create a plan for a
solution. This broad problem-solving technique includes four elements:
decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithms. In this
session, the discussion will be focused on the first element of
computational thinking: decomposition.

The power of computational thinking starts with decomposition, which is

the process of breaking down complex problems into smaller, more
manageable parts. With decomposition, problems that seem
overwhelming at first become much more manageable. This process of
breaking down problems enables us to analyze the different aspects of
them, ground our thinking, and guide ourselves to an end point.

One of the key features of decomposition is the differentiating and categorizing of parts of a
problem or sub-problem. The goal of this activity is to divide the problem or sub-problem into
more manageable pieces or to gain better understanding of the problem by breaking it down
into its component parts. Substantive decomposition involves the breaking down of a
problem or artifact by its componential characteristics, such as breaking down a jigsaw puzzle
by its various pieces, a painting by the colors used, or an article by its paragraphs.

Figure 1 below shows the general case of substantive decomposition, where some
component A is broken down into two sub-components B and C. These two sub-components
are then considered separately and distinct of each other, and they provide additional
information while separate that was not provided while combined.
In relational decomposition, each component or sub-component of the problem may relate
to other parts and sub-parts. Those relations could be based on time, sequence, location,
dependence, function, or any of the other previously mentioned categories of relational
decomposition. Figure 2 below shows the general case of relational decomposition, where
some components A and B are assigned a relation. Prior to this relational decomposition, A
and B were not considered to be related in this way.

Substantive decomposition creates the “X” and “Y” of the semantic relationships. Relational
decomposition creates the connection between the “X” and the “Y.” For example, the
semantic relationship “X is a cause/result of Y” relates two substantive parts or sub-parts of a
problem using a cause-effect relationship. Each substantive part or sub-part could be
understood separate from the specific relational situation, but given the current
circumstance, they are related in the specified manner.

In Engineering, Computer Science, Design, and other fields, we observe problems frequently
broken down by their functions. We believe that functional decomposition is the result of
substantive and relational processes. Functional decomposition is understood through this
framework as a combination of a substantive and relational decomposition combined to form
a decompositional semantic relationship. Decomposing by function, then, is a parallel
substantive and relational decomposition, which separates objects into their functional sub-
groups and labels them with the appropriate functional relationships.

With these general categories of decomposition— substantive, relational, and functional —

we can better understand the categorical process of decomposing a problem, and how that
decompositional process helps to gain new meaningful information for solving the overall
problem.
Problem Solving

1. Ada the engineer has marbles with following characteristics:

• size (small, medium, or large)
• color (red, blue, or yellow)
• material (stone, glass, or metal)
• decoration (plain, glitter, or mosaic)

Ada knows the following restrictions on the marble designs:

• each marble can only be of one size, one color, one material, and one
decoration
• marbles made of metal cannot be large sized
• marbles made of stone cannot be red or yellow
• the glitter decoration cannot be applied to marbles made of stone or metal
• the mosaic decoration cannot be applied to marbles made of metal

If a large, blue marble is plainly decorated, what is the marble made from?

2. A smart beaver needs a fir tree to build a dam on a river. But he only has one carrot
. At Grandson Castle there is a trade today and exchange is possible. The beaver
goes there with his carrot and hopes to exchange it for a fir tree .
In each room two exchanges are allowed according to the following table:
Room A: ➜ or ➜
Room B: ➜ or ➜

Room C: ➜ or ➜

Room D: ➜ or ➜

Room E: ➜ or ➜
Room F: ➜ or ➜

Room G: ➜ or ➜

Room H: ➜ or ➜

What is the sequence of rooms the beaver has to go in, to ensure that he will
eventually get a fir tree?
3. The Big Beaver Boss has a secret message for his six agents. Unfortunately, the Big
Beaver Boss does not trust his agents equally. So, the Big Beaver Boss split the
message into four pieces (1 to 4) and added levels of secrecy to each piece.
• A piece of message with the seal “-” can be read only by the agent who gets
the piece.
• A piece of message with the seal “#” can be read by its receiver and his
subordinates (in the picture below, the subordinates are shown downward,
the arrows point at the headmen).
• A piece of message with the seal “+” can be read by every agent.
The following picture shows the agents and the pieces of the message they have
received:

Which agent has access to all parts (1 to 4) of the message?

4. Due to a virus outbreak, many grocery stores have to close to minimize health risks.
However, every village needs to have at least one grocery store near it to ensure food
supply. A grocery store is near a village if no other village has to be passed on the way
to the store. The green dots represent villages, the red squares represent grocery
stores. The lines connecting them represent streets.

What is the minimum number of grocery stores shown in the map above that must
stay open to ensure food supply?
5. The secret writing here is based on coding the letters of the Latin alphabet by new
symbols. The secret is described in the following table. Unfortunately, parts of the
table have been wiped out and so parts of the table are missing:

Please find the original plain-text of this cipher-text, even though the table is
damaged.

A) INFORMATION SECRET B) INFORMATICS IS COOL

C) MATHEMATICS IS COOL D) INFORMATION IS COOL

6. Beavers plant 9 trees in lines on a field so that there are 3 rows each with 3 trees. The
trees have three different heights: 1 ( ), 2( ), and 3( ). In each row and column,
there is exactly one tree of each height (i.e., no row or column has two trees of the
same height).
For each position around the field (left figure below) beavers observe how many trees
are visible from this position and write down this number on a sign ( signs for
columns and signs for rows).
 If beavers observe the trees in one line (see right figure above) they do not see trees
that are hidden behind a taller tree.
Given the numbers currently written, which of the following options would fit the
bottom row (left to right)?

7. A young beaver wants to assemble a toy with the same form as in the picture on the
wall of the toy shop. He needs to make the toy from the shapes offered on the counter,
each with a different price on it, ranging from 1 coin to 7 coins. He can buy as many
shapes as he wants of each shape type and rotate them in any way.

What is the minimum cost for the young beaver to assemble the desired toy?
8. John Beava is training to become a professional wrestler. He knows that during a
match, he can be in the ring in any of the six different positions listed below:
• Lying (P1)
• Standing (P2)
• Running (P3)
• Against the ropes (P4)
• In the corner (P5)
• Top Rope (P6)

His wrestling trainer can teach him a set of moves, and each move has a list of
positions that it can be performed from. John wants to make sure that he learns a
move for every position but wants to learn the fewest number of moves possible, to
make sure that he has more time to practice each one. The moves that his trainer can
teach him and the positions they can be used from are as follows:
• М1. Crossbody – Running, Top Rope (P3, P6)
• М2. Suplex – Standing, Top Rope (P2, P6)
• М3. Clothesline – Standing, Running, Top Rope, Against the ropes (P2, P3,P4,
P6)
• М4. Back Elbow – Standing, In the corner, Against the ropes (P2, P4, P5)
• М5. Armbar – Standing, Lying (P1, P2)
• М6. Running Splash – Running (P3)

What is the minimum number of moves John needs to learn to make sure that he can
perform a move from any position?

9. Beaver Ben has to do some shopping. The numbers on the roads show how long Ben
needs to walk from one place to another. He starts and ends at his home, marked with
the red arrow.

What is the shortest amount of time Ben needs to visit all four shops and come back
home?
10. In the smart city of Bebrasopolis, the traffic signs know where the self-driving taxis

should go and gives them directions using these symbols: . Each

symbol has one of these meanings: move forward, turn left, turn right or turn back.
The directions make the taxi move 1 block at a time and are always relative to the
taxi’s orientation.

The traffic symbols in this picture direct the taxi from the park to the airport

. What is the meaning of each traffic symbol?

11. The village on a lake has 6 houses, where beavers live together or separately.

Aggelos is the new mailman, who doesn’t know anything about the beavers, who live
there. At the beginning. His notebook is empty He comes up with the following
strategy to deliver the mail:
• Every time a new letter is sent, Aggelos writes down the name and the address
of the sender.
• Then, if the name of the receiver is in his notebook, he delivers the mail.
• If receiver’s name is not in his notebook, he makes copies of the letter and
delivers them to all addresses in the lake except the address of the sender.
• In any case, the correct receiver always replies to the letter the same day.
Aggelos then writes down his name and address and delivers the reply letter.

On the first day Elia sends a mail to George and Mike sends a mail to Elia. On the
second day Socrates sends a mail to Nasia. How many mails Aggelos delivered on his
first two days at work?

12. For a new museum, four room layouts are proposed (see below). Each layout contains
7 rooms, labeled with numbers 1 – 7. Visitors are supposed to take a one-way tour
through the exhibition. Which layout allows each visitor to enter, visit each room
exactly once, and then exit?

A B

C D
13. The black heron can fly over the sea at a rate of 2 blocks per hour and must rest on
land for 1 hour after flying for 4 blocks.
The white ibis can fly over the sea at a rate of 4 blocks per hour but must rest on land
for 2 hours after flying for 4 blocks.
Both birds can also walk around on land at a rate of 1 block per hour. Each bird can
only move left/right/up/down on the map shown above – they cannot move
diagonally.

Which bird can migrate from Contour Island to Bristle Island the fastest, and what is
the difference between the fastest migration times between them?
14. Ada the engineer has been asked to create a sorting machine to sort marbles. She is
given a table of possible marble designs:

Ada knows the following restrictions on the marble designs:

• marbles made of metal cannot be large sized
• marbles made of stone cannot be red
• the glitter decoration cannot be applied to large marbles
• the mosaic decoration cannot be applied to red marbles

Which marble designs in the table are allowed by the restrictions?