The Algorithm That Decides
🎯 Today's mission briefing
We are learning to write and trace branching algorithms that use IF / THEN / ELSE to make a decision.
You'll know you've got it when:
- I can write a condition that has only two answers: true or false
- I can write an algorithm with IF, THEN and ELSE, and draw it as a flowchart
- I can trace an algorithm and say which branch runs and which branch is skipped
The morning that decides itself
Connects to what your guest already knows and makes them curious. Activating prior knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of new learning.
Think about getting ready this morning. Somewhere in there, a decision happened: if it was raining you grabbed a raincoat, and if it wasn't, you didn't. Nobody had to think hard about it — but that tiny decision is the exact same machinery that runs inside every game you've ever played. Today you'll learn to write decisions down so precisely that a computer, or a very literal-minded family member, can follow them perfectly.