Hi there! I’m Felicia Williams, and I work at Facebook, focusing on augmented reality and virtual reality. Augmented reality is super cool because it’s changing how we use computers, and it’s a thrilling field to be part of right now.
When you’re creating something like an animation, app, or game, your computer program often needs to check if something is true or false. To do this, we use something called a boolean expression. A boolean expression is like asking the computer a yes-or-no question, and it can only answer with “true” or “false.”
Let’s explore three types of expressions you can create using comparison operators:
Each of these comparisons will give you either a “true” or “false” answer.
Imagine you’re playing a game, and you get a bonus when your score hits 100. The computer uses a boolean expression to check, “Is the score equal to 100?” If the answer is true, you get a bonus! If it’s false, you don’t get anything.
But what if you score more than 100? You should still get the bonus, right? To make sure this happens, we can use another boolean expression: “Is the score greater than 99?” If this is true, you’ll receive the bonus.
By using boolean expressions to ask true/false questions, you can make your animations, apps, and games more dynamic and interactive. This means your creations will be more fun and engaging for everyone who uses them!
So, next time you’re working on a project, remember how powerful boolean expressions can be in making your ideas come to life!
Explore your classroom or home to find real-life examples of boolean expressions. For instance, a light switch can be “on” or “off” (true or false). Write down at least five examples and explain how each represents a boolean expression.
Create a simple card game where each card has a number. Pair up with a classmate and draw cards. Use comparison operators to determine whose card is greater, less, or equal. Keep score based on correct boolean evaluations.
Write a short story where the main character makes decisions based on boolean expressions. For example, “If the character has more than 3 keys, they can open the treasure chest.” Share your story with the class and discuss how boolean logic influenced the plot.
Use a simple coding platform like Scratch to create a mini-game that uses boolean expressions. For example, program a sprite to move only when a certain condition is true, such as “if the score is greater than 50, move forward.”
Design a quiz for your classmates using boolean expressions. Create questions that can be answered with “true” or “false.” After the quiz, explain the boolean logic behind each question and answer.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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My name is Felicia Williams, and I work at Facebook in augmented reality and virtual reality. Augmented reality is going to change the way we think about using computers, and it’s an exciting field to be in right now.
Whether you’re creating an animation, an app, or a game, it’s often necessary for your computer program to test a condition to see if it’s true or false. To do this, we use a boolean expression—an expression that can only evaluate to either true or false. This is similar to asking the computer a yes-or-no question.
Let’s look at three types of expressions that we can create with comparison operators. Two equal signs compare the values in each box and ask, “Are these two values equal to one another?” The greater-than sign compares two values and asks if the value on the left is greater than the value on the right. Finally, the less-than sign compares the two values and asks if the value on the left is less than the value on the right. For each comparison, we will get either a “true” or “false” answer.
For example, when playing a game, you may receive a bonus when you reach a specific score, say 100. To determine when to give the bonus, the computer will use a boolean expression that asks, “Is the value stored in the variable score equal to 100?” If the expression evaluates to true, then you will receive a bonus! If it evaluates to false, nothing happens.
We can use another comparison operator to make our game even more accurate. In this example, the bonus is only given if the player’s score is exactly 100. However, if the player exceeds 100, they should still receive the bonus, right? To do this, we’ll use the boolean expression that asks, “Is the user score greater than 99?” If this is true, then the player gets a bonus.
By using boolean expressions to ask true/false questions, you can make your animations, apps, and games even more dynamic and interactive for your users.
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This version maintains the original content while removing any unnecessary details or informal language.
Boolean – A data type that can only have two values: true or false. – In coding, a boolean can be used to check if a condition is met, like if a user is logged in or not.
Expressions – Combinations of variables, constants, and operators that are evaluated to produce a result. – In a computer program, expressions can be used to calculate the total score in a game.
Computer – An electronic device that processes data and performs tasks according to a set of instructions. – We use a computer to write code and create programs that solve problems.
Program – A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a specific task. – We wrote a program to calculate the average of numbers entered by the user.
True – A boolean value indicating that a condition or statement is correct or valid. – The statement “5 is greater than 3” is true in a boolean context.
False – A boolean value indicating that a condition or statement is incorrect or invalid. – The expression “2 + 2 equals 5” evaluates to false in a program.
Operators – Symbols or words used in programming to perform operations on data, such as addition or comparison. – In coding, operators like “+” and “-” are used to perform arithmetic calculations.
Animation – A sequence of images or frames displayed in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement. – We added animation to our game to make the characters move smoothly across the screen.
Game – An interactive application designed for entertainment, often involving challenges or objectives. – We created a simple game where players have to catch falling objects to score points.
Interactive – Allowing a user to engage with and control elements within a program or application. – The interactive tutorial helped us learn how to code by letting us try different commands.
