Logical reasoning in daily decisions in Intro to Computing - Draw & Build Visually

Draw This - beginner

Draw a flowchart to decide whether to take an umbrella when leaving the house. Use the question: "Is it raining or is rain forecasted today?" If yes, take the umbrella; if no, do not take it.

5 minutes

Hint 1

Hint 2

Hint 3

Hint 4

Grading Criteria

Start and End oval symbols present

Decision diamond used for the rain question

Two branches labeled Yes and No

Correct actions for each decision path

Flow arrows connecting all symbols logically

Solution

  _______
 /       \
|  Start  |
 \_______/
     |
     v
  ________________
 | Is it raining or |
 | rain forecasted?|
 |      (Yes/No)   |
  ----------------
    /        \
   /Yes       \No
  v            v
 _______    ___________
| Take  |  | Do not    |
|umbrella|  | take      |
|_______|  |umbrella   |
    |          |
    v          v
  _______    _______
 /       \  /       \
|  End   | |  End    |
 \_______/  \_______/

This flowchart starts with the Start symbol.

It asks the question: Is it raining or rain forecasted? inside a decision diamond.

If the answer is Yes, the flow goes to the action Take umbrella.

If the answer is No, the flow goes to the action Do not take umbrella.

Both actions lead to the End symbol, showing the decision process is complete.

Variations - 2 Challenges

[intermediate] Draw a flowchart to decide whether to wear a jacket. The question is: "Is the temperature below 15°C or is it windy?" If yes, wear a jacket; if no, do not wear one.

[advanced] Draw a flowchart to decide whether to bring a water bottle. Ask: "Is the weather hot AND will you be outside for more than 1 hour?" If yes, bring water; if no, do not bring water.

Practice

1. Which of the following best describes logical reasoning in daily decisions?

easy

A. Doing the opposite of what is suggested

B. Making choices step-by-step using IF-THEN-ELSE thinking

C. Ignoring all options and guessing

D. Choosing randomly without thinking

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand logical reasoning

   Logical reasoning means making decisions by checking conditions step-by-step, like asking "If this, then that".

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Making choices step-by-step using IF-THEN-ELSE thinking clearly explains this step-by-step IF-THEN-ELSE thinking, while others describe random or opposite actions.

3. Final Answer:

   Making choices step-by-step using IF-THEN-ELSE thinking -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Logical reasoning = step-by-step IF-THEN-ELSE [OK]

Hint: Look for step-by-step decision making [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing logical reasoning with guessing
• Ignoring the IF-THEN-ELSE structure
• Thinking random choice is logical reasoning

2. Which of these is the correct way to express a simple decision in programming logic?

easy

A. do_something if condition else do_something_else

B. if condition then do_something else do_something_else

C. if do_something then condition else do_something_else

D. condition if do_something else do_something_else

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct IF-THEN-ELSE syntax

   In many programming languages like Python, the correct syntax for a simple decision expression is: do_something if condition else do_something_else.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   do_something if condition else do_something_else matches the correct syntax used in Python. if condition then do_something else do_something_else uses 'then' which is not valid syntax in Python. Options C and D mix order incorrectly.

3. Final Answer:

   do_something if condition else do_something_else -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Python conditional expression syntax = do_something if condition else do_something_else [OK]

Hint: Remember Python's conditional expression: action if condition else alternative [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'then' keyword in Python
• Swapping condition and action order
• Mixing condition with actions

3. Consider this flowchart for deciding whether to take an umbrella:

What is the correct decision if it is raining?

medium

A. Wait and see

B. Don't take an umbrella

C. Take an umbrella

D. Call a friend

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the flowchart condition

   The flowchart asks: "Is it raining?" If yes, the arrow points to "Take umbrella".

2. Step 2: Follow the decision path for 'Yes'

   Since it is raining, the decision is to take an umbrella.

3. Final Answer:

   Take an umbrella -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Raining? Yes -> Take umbrella [OK]

Hint: Follow the 'Yes' path for raining [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing the 'No' path by mistake
• Ignoring the flowchart arrows
• Overthinking the simple question

4. You have this decision logic:

if hungry:
    eat()
else:
    wait()

But the code gives an error. What is the most likely problem?

medium

A. The else statement should come before if

B. The functions eat() and wait() are spelled wrong

C. The colon ':' is missing after if and else

D. The condition 'hungry' is not defined or missing value

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the condition variable

   The condition 'hungry' must be defined as True or False before use; otherwise, it causes an error.

2. Step 2: Review other syntax elements

   Functions and colons look correct; else cannot come before if.

3. Final Answer:

   The condition 'hungry' is not defined or missing value -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Undefined condition causes error [OK]

Hint: Ensure condition variables are defined before use [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming function names cause error
• Thinking else can come before if
• Missing colons (not the main error here)

5. You want to decide what to wear based on weather:

if temperature < 10:
    wear('coat')
elif temperature < 20:
    wear('jacket')
else:
    wear('t-shirt')

If the temperature is 15, what will you wear?

hard

A. jacket

B. coat

C. t-shirt

D. nothing

Solution

1. Step 1: Check temperature against first condition

   15 is not less than 10, so skip the first if block.

2. Step 2: Check temperature against elif condition

   15 is less than 20, so wear('jacket') is executed.

3. Final Answer:

   jacket -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   15 < 20 but >= 10 means jacket [OK]

Hint: Check conditions top to bottom until one matches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing coat because 15 is close to 10
• Choosing t-shirt ignoring elif
• Not understanding elif means else if