Introduction to Computing

ion. Abstraction is a way of hiding details by giving things names. Weuse abstraction to manage complexity. Good abstractions hide unnecessarydetails so they can be used to build complex systems without needing to un-derstand all the details of the abstraction at once. We introduce proceduralabstraction in Chapter 4, data abstraction in Chapter 5, the digital abstrac-tion in Chapter 6, abstraction using objects in Chapter 10, and many otherexamples of abstraction throughout this book. Throughout this book, these three themes will recur recursively, universally,and abstractly as we explore the art and science of how to instruct computingmachines to perform useful tasks, reason about the resources needed to ex-ecute a particular procedure, and understand the fundamental and practicallimits on what computers can do. 201.4. Summary and Roadmap