3.1.1 - Information Hiding & Abstraction

Information Hiding - Hiding the design complexity of a  system to simplify it for the user

• e.g. Windows - unaware of the underlying complexity behind the system

Abstraction - This is where any unnecessary details are removed from the system (Information Hiding)

• e.g. Tube maps - no relation to real life distances at all

Generalisation -  In computing this would be wear only the main principles of a computer system is shown and not the rest of the program, for example a top down design.

Representation - Simplifying a complex system such as phone masts that do not have numbers, distances etc.

Levels of abstraction:

1. Application (Word processing) - High levels of abstraction.
2. High level programming languages (VB) - hides low level commands such as what the IF statement does.
3. Machine Code - Hides the complexity of the underlying electronics behind a machine code commands.
4. Electronics - Hides the physical process of atoms & neutrons with basic electronics components.