Computational Thinking: Rethinking How We Think

This book introduces computational thinking, defining computational thinking as "thinking like a computer scientist." Chapter 1 explains the origins of computer science and its unique worldview by contrasting it with fields like physics and mathematics, while also addressing its relationship with programming, deep learning, and generative AI. Chapter 2 describes the practical benefits of applying computational thinking in the real world, introducing the essential concepts of abstraction, modeling, and virtualization. Chapter 3 introduces another essential concept, meta, and its related idea of self-reference. Chapter 4 introduces computational thinking perspectives in everyday activities such as cooking. Chapter 5 shares the findings regarding computational thinking from the perspective of a cognitive scientist with no background in computer science This book is accessible to anyone interested in computational thinking, regardless of prior knowledge.