Turning an Algorithm into an App

You can use a coding program to turn your algorithm into an app. You can make an app from an algorithm by following these steps:

Create the background

Start by creating a background for your app.

Create the moving objects

Create the moving objects.
- In the basketball game, the moving objects are the ball and the hand.
Moving objects can also be called 'sprites'.

Name the moving objects

Name the moving objects so you can apply different blocks of code to each one.
- You need to name them otherwise so you can tell the algorithms which parts the algorithm applies to.

Make the ball move and bounce

Make the ball move and bounce off the red and blue blocks and the walls.
- Blocks of code which create movement in objects or sprites are called 'movement blocks'.

Turning an Algorithm into an App

You need to follow a few more steps to complete your app:

Event and Control blocks

You then need to add blocks of code called 'Event and Control blocks'.
Event and Control blocks give ‘if … then’ and ‘repeat until…’ instructions.

Event and Control blocks 2

Event and Control blocks control the following in the basketball game:
- What happens if the mouse is moved? → the red block moves.
- What happens if the ball touches a wall or the hand? → the ball bounces.
- What happens if the ball touches each ‘basket’? → the score of the shooting team goes up.
- When does the game end? → first team to get to 5 points.

Variables blocks

Blocks of code that create variables (things that can change) are called variable blocks.
Variable blocks of code give instructions for the selection of the colour, time, distance, the angle of bounces, etc.

1Computational Thinking & Algorithms

1.1Computational Thinking

1.1.1Abstraction Thinking

1.1.2Decomposition Thinking

1.1.3Algorithmic Thinking

1.2Algorithms

1.2.1Algorithms

1.2.2Pseudocode

1.2.3Flow Diagrams

1.2.4Logical Reasoning & Debugging

1.2.5Reading Algorithms

1.2.6Correcting Algorithms

1.2.7Complete the Algorithm

1.2.8Search Algorithms

1.2.9Linear Search

1.2.10Binary Search

1.2.11Sort Algorithms

1.2.12Bubble Sort

1.2.13Insertion Sort

1.2.14End of Topic Test - Algorithms

2Programming

3Hardware & Software

3.1Hardware

3.1.1Elements of Computer Systems

3.1.2Central Processing Unit (CPU)

3.1.3Registers of the Central Processing Unit (CPU)

3.1.4Factors Affecting CPU Performance

3.1.5Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle

3.1.6Binary Systems

3.1.7Logic Circuits

3.1.8Boolean Logic

3.1.9End of Topic Test - Logic

3.2Software

3.2.1System Software

4Data

4.1Representing Data

4.1.1Binary

4.1.2Converting Binary & Hexadecimal

4.1.3Converting Denary & Hexadecimal

4.1.4Binary Arithmetic

4.1.5Representing Sound

4.1.6Representing Images

4.1.7Character Sets

4.1.8American Standard Code for Information Interchange

4.1.9Unicode

4.1.10End of Topic Test - Representation

5The Internet

5.1Networks

5.1.1Networks

5.1.2Geographical Classification of Networks

5.1.3What is the Internet?

5.1.4The World Wide Web

5.1.5Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)

5.1.6Web Hosting

5.1.7HTML

5.1.8Searching the World Wide Web

5.1.9Good Searching Tips

5.1.10Are You Looking at Reliable Information?

6Online Safety & Security

6.1Protecting Yourself Online

6.1.1Digital Footprints

6.1.2Leaving a Safe Online Footprint

6.1.3Online Safety

6.1.4Malware - Viruses

6.1.5Malware

6.1.6People Online

6.1.7Your Feelings

6.1.8Getting Help

6.2Computing and the Law

6.2.1Data Protection Act (1998)

6.2.2Computer Misuse Act (1990)

6.2.3Freedom of Information Act (2000)

6.2.4Plagiarism

6.2.5Copyright

6.2.6Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)

6.2.7Creative Commons Licensing

Jump to other topics