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Algorithms - An Introduction
Can you think of an algorithm for walking around the outside of a square?

Algorithms - An Introduction

An algorithm is a set of steps that tells you what to do. In this quiz, you will spot good instructions, put steps in order, and fix missing details.

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Fascinating Fact:

A good algorithm uses simple words so anyone can follow it. Short steps are easier to check.

In KS1 Computing, an algorithm means clear instructions that are followed in the right order to make something happen. You can write algorithms for people (like a recipe) and for computers (like a simple program). If a step is missing or muddled, the result can go wrong, so good algorithms are careful, tidy, and easy to follow.

Key Terms

  • Algorithm: A list of steps to follow to finish a task.
  • Order: The sequence things happen in, first, next, then, last.
  • Instruction: A sentence that tells you what to do.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is an algorithm in KS1 Computing?

An algorithm in KS1 Computing is a set of steps in the right order that tells someone or something how to do a task, like making a sandwich or drawing a shape.

Why does the order of steps matter in an algorithm?

The order matters because doing steps in the wrong order can change the outcome, like putting cereal in a bowl after you have poured the milk away.

How can I check if my algorithm works?

You can test it by acting it out slowly, step by step, and seeing if each instruction is clear. If it goes wrong, change the steps and try again.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .
Luke thinks about getting up in a morning. He writes an algorithm. Luke writes down the steps, one by one.

The first step he writes down is: ‘Wake up’. What is the next step?
Brush teeth
Put on clothes
Have shower
Get out of bed
All the steps in an algorithm have to be in the right order
2 .
Which one of these is an algorithm?
Telling a robot how to walk once round a square
Giving a robot a name
Watching a robot
Listening to a robot
This algorithm is just like the one with the big red square
3 .
How do you write an algorithm?
As a story
One step at a time
As a poem
In any order
It’s really good to write stories and poems, but it’s also good to be able to write algorithms
4 .
Computers can be told how to do sums. Which one of these is a sum?
Colouring a picture
Adding up tens and units
Writing a story
Running round the playground
Computers can be told how to add up, take away, multiply, and divide
5 .
Algorithms help us to solve problems or get things done. Algorithms are a list of _____.
Steps
Numbers
Codes
Letters
Codes come later
6 .
Luke writes an algorithm just for brushing his teeth. Which one of these steps does he write down first?
Spit out
Rinse with cold water
Brush teeth
Open toothpaste
Luke needs to open the tube of toothpaste before he can put some on his brush
7 .
Which one of these spellings is correct?
Algorhythm
Algaerithm
Algorithm
Algarhythm
It’s not easy! Try writing it out
8 .
There is a big red square painted on the school playground. Mrs Smith is a teacher. She takes her class out to the playground. Mrs Smith gives instructions about how to walk once round the big red square.

Mrs Smith asks Alice to stand at one corner of the big red square. Mrs Smith tells Alice to walk to the next corner of the square. She then tells Alice to turn right.

What is Mrs Smith’s next instruction to Alice?
Walk backwards
Turn right
Turn left
Walk to the next corner
Can you write down an algorithm for walking once round the big red square?
9 .
Computers need algorithms to work. They need to be told the steps to make things happen.

An algorithm is like a list of instructions. But it’s not just computers that need instructions. We do, too.

Which one of these everyday examples is an algorithm?
A cake recipe
Loud music
Bright colours
A poem
The recipe is a list of instructions to make the cake
10 .
Connor is writing down a simple algorithm. He writes down all the steps. The steps must be:
Backwards
In the wrong order
All jumbled up
In the right order
If the steps are in the wrong order, the algorithm will not work
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - What is an algorithm?

Author:  David Bland (Former Physics Teacher, KS1 Science & Geography Quiz Writer)
Computing Play this quiz again

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