# Stephen Wolfram on Computational Thinking (2024-04-21)

**URL:** <https://pluralist.net/t/stephen-wolfram-on-computational-thinking-2024-04-21/142>\
**Category:** breadcrumbs\
**Created:** [April 21, 2024, 7:00am UTC](https://pluralist.net/t/stephen-wolfram-on-computational-thinking-2024-04-21/142 "2024-04-21T07:00:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![delyan](https://pluralist.net/user_avatar/pluralist.net/delyan/32/245_2.png) [@delyan](https://pluralist.net/u/delyan)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2024, 7:00am UTC](https://pluralist.net/t/stephen-wolfram-on-computational-thinking-2024-04-21/142/1 "2024-04-21T07:00:00Z")

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Catching up on [the announcement of Wolfram Language v14](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2024/01/the-story-continues-announcing-version-14-of-wolfram-language-and-mathematica/), something interesting appeared in [The Story Continues: Announcing Version 14 of Wolfram Language and Mathematica](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2024/01/the-story-continues-announcing-version-14-of-wolfram-language-and-mathematica/) by Stephen Wolfram, published on January 9, 2024.

> The workflow is typically as follows. First, you have to conceptualize in computational terms what you want. (And, yes, that step requires **computational thinking—which is a very important skill that too few people have so far learned**.) Then you tell the LLM what you want, and it’ll try to write Wolfram Language code to achieve it.

And just like that - we are off to learning (about) **computational thinking**.

# Definition

Per [University of York](https://online.york.ac.uk/what-is-computational-thinking/): Computational thinking (CT) is **a problem-solving technique that imitates the process computer programmers go through when writing computer programmes and algorithms**.

Stephen Wolfram [defines Computational Thinking](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2016/09/how-to-teach-computational-thinking/) as “formulating things with enough clarity, and in a systematic enough way, that one can tell a computer how to do them.”

# Further Exploration

Wolfram often times (and in the links below) discusses the broad application of computational thinking – not just in physics but across various domains. He, of course, emphasizes the transformative power of the [Wolfram Language](https://www.wolfram.com/) in enabling & teaching computational thinking.

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# Links

- [How to Teach Computational Thinking—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2016/09/how-to-teach-computational-thinking/)
- [How to Think Computationally about AI, the Universe and Everything—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/10/how-to-think-computationally-about-ai-the-universe-and-everything/)
- [How to Teach Computational Thinking—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2016/09/how-to-teach-computational-thinking/)
- [Computational Thinking Courses: Wolfram U](https://www.wolfram.com/wolfram-u/courses/computational-thinking/)
- [Frontiers of Computational Thinking: A SXSW Report—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2015/03/frontiers-of-computational-thinking-a-sxsw-report/)
- [What We’ve Built Is a Computational Language (and That’s Very Important!)—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/05/what-weve-built-is-a-computational-language-and-thats-very-important/)
- [What Is a Computational Essay?—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2017/11/what-is-a-computational-essay/)
- [Just Published: Adventures of a Computational Explorer—Stephen Wolfram Writings](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/10/just-published-adventures-of-a-computational-explorer/)