#BreakingItDown #ProblemSolving #ProgrammingLogic
🔍 **Introduction**
Breaking down a problem into smaller, more manageable parts is a crucial skill in problem-solving, especially in programming. In this article, we’ll delve into an example to demonstrate how to break down complex problems into simpler components. Let’s use the popular games Wordle and Hangman to illustrate this concept.
## Wordle
### How Wordle Works
– Goal: Guess the 5-letter word of the day in 6 attempts.
– Valid Guess: Must be a real 5-letter word.
– Color Coding:
– No Color: Letter not in the word.
– Green: Correct letter in the correct spot.
– Yellow: Correct letter in the wrong spot.
### Understanding the Problem
– Simplify: Focus on the core Wordle mechanics, not graphics or daily changes.
– Algorithm: Determine how to color the guesses correctly.
– Challenge: Deciding between yellow and green can be tricky.
#### **Analyzing Wordle**
1. Start with the uncolored letters.
2. Focus on marking off letters not in the secret word first.
3. Address green-colored letters next.
4. Tackle yellow-colored letters last.
### Translating to Code
1. Define the secret word and track remaining chances.
2. Represent the puzzle with dashes and track guessed characters.
3. Implement a loop to handle guesses.
4. Update the puzzle and character list based on each guess.
## Hangman
### How Hangman Works
– Guess the secret word within 6 attempts.
– Correct Guess: Reveals all instances of the letter.
– Incorrect Guess: Reduces remaining chances.
### Applying Problem-Solving Strategies
– Visualize: Draw the hangman structure and track remaining chances.
– Iterate: Make educated guesses and eliminate options.
– Algorithm: Update the puzzle based on correct guesses.
#### **Translating to Code**
1. Define the secret word and track remaining chances.
2. Create a puzzle format with dashes for unrevealed letters.
3. Implement a loop for handling guesses and updating the puzzle.
4. Check for win/lose conditions within the loop.
🚀 **Conclusion**
Mastering the art of breaking down complex problems into simpler components is essential for effective problem-solving in programming. By analyzing and understanding the core mechanics of games like Wordle and Hangman, we gain valuable insights into translating these concepts into code. With practice and perseverance, tackling intricate algorithms and designing efficient solutions becomes less daunting. Remember, the key lies in breaking it down step by step!
> (One time, I asked someone to break down a problem and s/he refused).
This is an issue I’ve found with a lot of people that are new to programming as well.
They think they “know” what their goal is, and they think others also “know” what their goal is, and feel that it’s a complete waste of time to have to bother describing in exact detail what and how every piece of the puzzle is put together.
I suspect the problem is not because they don’t want to do it, but because they don’t actually know how but their egos get in the way.
I do the same thing with web development. It looks scary wgeb you think about implementing everything but then you make one component at a time merge them one by one. Easy
Great post! I teach coding to kids and one of the hardest hurdles for them is translating their ideas to actual code. It’s super important to build up their code vocabulary.
You’ve outlined a great way to approach it here. The other step is drilling ideas like “i need to search a list -> that’s a for loop”. Or an ease with creating chains of ifs and else’s, storing information in arrays. These are the things I see students struggle with by far the most.
Years ago I used to teach software development. I explained on day one, that this was the most important part of the job. I taught it by pulling up two students and have one instruct the other one to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The two students couldn’t see each other and the one that was making the sandwich was only allowed to do exactly as they were told. I suggest doing that exercise (bring a ton of paper towels, you’ll need them). You will very quickly change your mindset around thinking of how a task is actually completed and how many “sub-tasks” there are. Get to where you can have someone make a pb&j using your exact instructions, and coding gets easier.
Wow! Quality post, well done and thank you
I’ve roughly flown over the giant wall of text and I found that a nice summary of the thought process that occurs when you encounter something you want to have solved.
I’m going to upvote you because this took an enormous amount of time to write up and with stylized sections as well!
This is a great write up, thanks for taking the time to post. This really is a hard skill to learn and not something that you necessarily get exposed to on platforms like Free Code Camp or whatever online resources people are using. These posts on [Breaking it Down](https://www.rithmschool.com/problem-solving-strategies-03/) and [Simplifying the Problem](https://www.rithmschool.com/problem-solving-strategies-04/) (part of a series on the problem solving process in general) try to get to the point as well.