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Computing Quiz - Algorithms - An Introduction (Questions)

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.

Which one of these spellings is correct?

[ ]	Algorhythm
[ ]	Algaerithm
[ ]	Algorithm
[ ]	Algarhythm

2.

Algorithms help us to solve problems or get things done. Algorithms are a list of _____.

[ ]	Steps
[ ]	Numbers
[ ]	Codes
[ ]	Letters

3.

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

4.

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

5.

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

6.

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

7.

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

8.

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

9.

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

10.

How do you write an algorithm?

[ ]	As a story
[ ]	One step at a time
[ ]	As a poem
[ ]	In any order

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - What is an algorithm?

Computing Quiz - Algorithms - An Introduction (Answers)

1.

Which one of these spellings is correct?

[ ]	Algorhythm
[ ]	Algaerithm
[x]	Algorithm
[ ]	Algarhythm

It’s not easy! Try writing it out

2.

Algorithms help us to solve problems or get things done. Algorithms are a list of _____.

[x]	Steps
[ ]	Numbers
[ ]	Codes
[ ]	Letters

Codes come later

3.

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
[x]	In the right order

If the steps are in the wrong order, the algorithm will not work

4.

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?

[x]	A cake recipe
[ ]	Loud music
[ ]	Bright colours
[ ]	A poem

The recipe is a list of instructions to make the cake

5.

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
[x]	Walk to the next corner

Can you write down an algorithm for walking once round the big red square?

6.

Which one of these is an algorithm?

[x]	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

7.

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
[x]	Get out of bed

All the steps in an algorithm have to be in the right order

8.

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
[x]	Open toothpaste

Luke needs to open the tube of toothpaste before he can put some on his brush

9.

Computers can be told how to do sums. Which one of these is a sum?

[ ]	Colouring a picture
[x]	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

10.

How do you write an algorithm?

[ ]	As a story
[x]	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