Abstraction - The most important concept of CS

I was actually thinking if I exaggerated by terming Abstraction as the most important concept in Computer Science but actually No and I will tell you why. 

Abstraction is the key to understand everything in Computer Science, to uncover every other concept. Once you get this, you will crack every concept with much ease. Computers and computing are the fastest-growing fields in the world, we all know it. It's like a beast that's growing every day and engulfing every aspect of life.

What is abstraction?

In simple terms, abstraction is hiding. It's the covering up of something messy and complicated with something that's relatively easier to look at. So every concept that you may try to understand is presented to you in an abstracted form. It's covered up and to actually understand that, you would need to dig deeper, to actually see what's hidden.

The easiest example that comes to mind for abstraction is the concept of memory.  On the surface, we talk about let's say for example RAM, but RAM, in reality, can be said as just a collection of Registers. A Register is just an arrangement of Latches. A Latch is just an arrangement of different logic gates in a particular combination & finally, a logic gate is just an arrangement of transistors!

You see when we start from the very basic level and then we go on adding details and when those details become too complicated, we hide those details and create a new entity out of it, this process of creating a new entity for the purpose of simplification is Abstraction.

Memory was just one example, you will find things being abstracted in many aspects of computing and  once you get the Abstraction, you will get everything else too!


Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2021 at 8:40 PM

    excellent you have given the path to enlighten. outstanding

    ReplyDelete

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