Find a Missing Instruction
Test a short algorithm and add the step needed for its stated goal.
Supplied materials
- Paper and a pencil, or say your answers aloud.
Learn the idea
Debugging means finding and fixing a problem in instructions. Test the steps exactly as written before deciding what went wrong. A missing step can make the result different from the goal.
Our goal is a square with a dot inside it. The written algorithm says: “1. Draw a square. 2. Stop.” Following it gives a square with no dot. The instructions did not ask for the dot.
- Draw the square by following the written algorithm exactly.
- Compare your result with the goal: a square with a dot inside.
- Name the missing part.
- Write a new step before Stop that tells where to draw the dot.
See the method in action
Repaired algorithm: 1. Draw a square. 2. Draw one dot inside the square. 3. Stop. Testing all three steps produces the stated goal.
Check your reasoning
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See the answer and explanation
Draw one dot inside the triangle.
The triangle is already drawn. The missing part is one dot inside it, so adding that precise step makes the algorithm meet its goal.
Take it further
Change the goal to a triangle with two dots inside. Replace the added step with “Draw two dots inside the triangle,” then test the new instructions.
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Check the subject sources
These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.