Computers Need Instructions

Have you ever asked a friend to help you build something and they said, "What should I do?" Computers are a little like that friend. They are very good helpers, but they do not know what to do unless someone tells them. Today you will find out why computers always need instructions — and why that is great news for you!

Computers Do Exactly What They Are Told

A computer is a machine. It does not eat, sleep, or dream. It cannot guess what you want. It cannot look at your face and figure out you are bored. Here is the important thing: a computer will do exactly what it is told. Not more, not less. If you tell it to draw a red circle, it draws a red circle. If you forget to say "red," it might draw any color at all! This might sound like a problem, but it is actually wonderful. It means you are in charge. You get to be the boss!

Think about a toaster. You put the bread in, and you push the lever down. The toaster does exactly that one job: it toasts the bread. It does not butter the bread. It does not pour your juice. It only does what it was built and set up to do. A computer is like a super-powered toaster. It can do many different jobs, but only the jobs it has been given instructions for. Your job is to give it those instructions.

When you learn how to give good instructions, you can get a computer to help you make games, draw pictures, write stories, do math, and so much more. The computer is powerful — but you are the one who makes it go!