1.4 Problem-Solving Strategies

Problem-solving happens on three levels:

  • Strategy: A high-level idea for finding a solution.

  • Tactics: Methods or patterns that work in many different settings.

  • Tools: Tricks and techniques that are used in specific situations.

As you progress through this text, you will encounter several different problem-solving strategies. In addition, you will see that computer science uses many different problem-solving tactics. In particular, you will learn to recognize patterns in the problems you solve that lead to patterns in the programs you write. Finally, as you use the Python programming language, you will learn about the tools that Python provides to help you write your solution as a program.

A simple example will ...

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