Be your very own ATM!
Lesson 2
Today you're going to get to be Human ATM, but not quite like this guy (only watch a coule of minutes - you'll get the idea)...
The way we interact with an ATM is similar to how we interact with computer games (and indeed the logic of almost all computer programs). When we withdraw money from an ATM we are using its OUTPUT function. When we deposit money we are using its INPUT function. INPUT and OUTPUT are two vital ways we interact with all computer programs.
Can you name three ways a computer takes
INPUTS and delivers OUTPUTS?
Can you think of other ways that we might interact with an ATM, or thought processes that we might go through when interacting?
For instance, we could use an 'IF... THEN... ELSE...' statement. 'IF my bank balance is over $100, THEN withdraw $100, ELSE print my bank balance'. All computer languages have the equivalent to 'IF... THEN... ELSE...'. This type of computer command is called a CONDITIONAL because what happens next is dependent on what it decides. That is, what the computer does next is conditional upon this decision.
Finally, there are LOOPS. Computers can do LOOPS that go on forever, stop after a certain amount of passes, or are conditional upon some other type of input or calculation.
Can you think of a situation that might require loops with your bank account
(perhaps not directly into an ATM)?
For instance, when you want to set up a payment for an ongoing sports activity that happens every month.
Now, get into pairs. Grab a small stack of Monopoly money from the front of the room. Take turns in being the ATM and customer and practice using INPUTS/OUTPUTS, 'IF... THEN... ELSE' commands and LOOPS to engage with each other.
Finished being an ATM? - have a look at the rest of today's lesson, including the game making platform MakeCode Arcade
and the TinkerGen Go Game Programming Course, where you'll get go put into practice the concepts you learnt today!
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