http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2006/01/kids-and-tcs.html There exist problems, intractable to decide, yet easy to check. Fri, 07 May 2010 22:25:51 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2006/01/kids-and-tcs.html/comment-page-1#comment-37 alopatenko Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:59:09 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2006/01/19/kids-and-tcs#comment-37 I think good old books of Martin Gardner are good enough to make children interested in Computer Science.Many problems or puzzles which were considered as logical puzzles can be considered from computer science point of view. Tile arrangements on plane, Conway's Life, etc.The same problems can be be given with computer demonstrations.Or for example it can be shown that the rule of the Life game can be used to make a simple "calculator" to introduce a notion of computation. So kid will understand that such simple devices as Turing machine or cell. automata are expressive enough to describe sophisticated computations. I think good old books of Martin Gardner are good enough to make children interested in Computer Science.Many problems or puzzles which were considered as logical puzzles can be considered from computer science point of view. Tile arrangements on plane, Conway’s Life, etc.The same problems can be be given with computer demonstrations.Or for example it can be shown that the rule of the Life game can be used to make a simple “calculator” to introduce a notion of computation. So kid will understand that such simple devices as Turing machine or cell. automata are expressive enough to describe sophisticated computations.

]]> http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2006/01/kids-and-tcs.html/comment-page-1#comment-38 Kurt Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:41:34 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2006/01/19/kids-and-tcs#comment-38 Sorry about the delayed response (to both this comment and to your original comment). Instead of "internet time", I seem to be operating on inverse internet time: if you have an exponentially growing amount of information to process, you wind up with a logarithmic amount of time left over for anything else (or something like that).Anyway, it looks like many of the projects in the <>Unplugged<> book are suitable for young kids, so I may try them out with my own children and see what happens. I'll describe any results in a future post (but please don't hold your breath). The book also has lots of interesting bits of information in it for the grownups, too. Sorry about the delayed response (to both this comment and to your original comment). Instead of “internet time”, I seem to be operating on inverse internet time: if you have an exponentially growing amount of information to process, you wind up with a logarithmic amount of time left over for anything else (or something like that).Anyway, it looks like many of the projects in the <>Unplugged<> book are suitable for young kids, so I may try them out with my own children and see what happens. I’ll describe any results in a future post (but please don’t hold your breath). The book also has lots of interesting bits of information in it for the grownups, too.

]]> http://learningcomputation.com/blog/2006/01/kids-and-tcs.html/comment-page-1#comment-39 twidjaja Sun, 22 Jan 2006 04:26:52 +0000 http://learningcomputation.wordpress.com/2006/01/19/kids-and-tcs#comment-39 Kurt: thanks a lot for the great post. It does contain a lot of great suggestions. I would very much appreciate it if you could let me know how good you think that book by Bell et al. is; I looked at some sample pages and am strongly considering buying it myself. Kurt: thanks a lot for the great post. It does contain a lot of great suggestions. I would very much appreciate it if you could let me know how good you think that book by Bell et al. is; I looked at some sample pages and am strongly considering buying it myself.

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