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Algorithm: Draw me a...

Discover what is an algorithm by taking up this challenge: make your friend draw what is on the picture without showing or naming it!

Take a piece of paper and draw : ​

Draw a circle.
Draw a triangle under the circle.
Draw a vertical line.

What did you draw? If you don’t know what it is, it means my instructions were not clear enough. Let’s do it again

Follow this instruction:

1. Draw a large circle.
2. Draw a small triangle under the circle with the tip touching the circle.
3. Draw a line from the middle of the base of the triangle to the bottom of the page.

Try it on the other drawings.

Test your algorithm on your friends and family. Be careful not to tell them what they are supposed to draw.

Did they guess what’s on your card? Congratulations, your algorithm is correct! If not, try again. ​ ​

There are more possible solutions for one drawing.

Solution

Draw a spiral​ turning outwards for 5 rounds and end drawing below the starting point.

Draw a vertical line starting at the bottom of the spiral and pointing to the end of the page as long as the spiral’s width.

Solution

Draw a circle​ with a 3cm diameter.
Draw same circle which center is 5cm higher than the previous one​​.
Remove the lines inside both circles, between the intersections.
Draw a 1cm by 14cm vertical rectangle with the center of the short base coinciding with the center of the lower circle and pointing to the top of the page​.
Draw two 13 cm long vertical lines inside this rectangle.​​
Draw a small square on the upper right side of the rectangle (2 mm away from the rectangle)​​.
Draw another small square under this first square​​.
Draw 2 symmetrical dots on the other side of the rectangle​​.
Turn your drawing 45° to the right. ​

Solution

Draw a large circle​.
Draw 2 triangles pointing to the upper corner of the page and which bases touches the top of the circle at 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock​​.
Draw a small triangle in the center of the circle with the tip pointing to the bottom of the page. ​​
Fill the triangle​. ​
Draw the letter U with the top right end touching the lower tip of the previous triangle​.
​ Draw the letter U with the top left end touching the lower tip of the previous triangle​​.
Draw 2 large dots in the circle at 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock just between the previous triangle and the first triangles​​.
Draw a small horizontal line starting on the circle at 3 o’clock pointing to the right edge of the paper​.​
Draw a small horizontal line starting on the circle at 3 o’clock pointing a bit higher than the previous line​​.
Draw a small horizontal line starting on the circle at 3 o’clock pointing a bit lower than the first line​​.
Draw the same 3 lines symmetrically on the other side of the circle (at 9 o’clock).

In language class

      • To write an essay, first write the draft with all the ideas you want to present ​
      • Then you write your text

In computer science​

      • First, we write an algorithm ​
      • Then we write the corresponding code​

Computational thinking is a method used to solve problems: ​

      1. Describe the problem​
      2. Break it in smaller problems or steps (for which we usually already have the solution)​
      3. Test the algorithm

1. Describe the problem Have your neighbor draw an object without telling him what it is and without showing it to him​

2. Break the problem in smaller pieces​ Identify the simple shapes known by the draftsman (circle, line, triangle, drop…)​

3. Test the algorithm​ Did your neighbor recognize the drawing? Does his drawing look like yours?​

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