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Abstraction (computer science)

TLDR: Abstraction in computer science is the process of simplifying complex systems or objects by focusing on the important details and ignoring the irrelevant ones. It is a fundamental concept in software engineering and computer science, and it helps in designing and modeling computer systems.

Abstraction is a technique used in computer science and software engineering to simplify the complexity of computer systems. It involves removing or generalizing unnecessary details or attributes of objects or systems to focus on the more important aspects. This process is similar to the concept of generalization. Abstraction also involves creating abstract concept-objects by identifying common features or attributes of various non-abstract objects or systems.

In computer science, abstraction is a fundamental concept that is closely related to modeling, theory, and design. It helps in creating conceptual models that generalize aspects of reality. Abstraction is also used in other fields, such as mathematics and art.

Abstraction in computer science is closely related to abstraction in mathematics. Both fields focus on building abstractions as objects or concepts. Abstraction is also used in programming languages, computational systems, and programming languages. For example, data abstraction is used to separate the usage of data structures from their working representations in computer programs. Abstraction is also used in procedures, functions, and subroutines to implement control flow in programs. It is also used in lambda calculus, Lisp programming language, and object-oriented programming languages like C++ and Java.

Abstraction is important in computer science because it allows us to manage the complexity of computer systems. It helps in creating modular and reusable code, simplifies the design process, and improves the clarity and efficiency of the code. However, it is important to note that all abstractions are leaky to some extent, meaning that they can never completely hide the underlying details. Despite this, abstraction remains a useful and necessary concept in computer science.

In summary, abstraction in computer science is the process of simplifying complex systems or objects by focusing on the important details and ignoring the irrelevant ones. It is a fundamental concept in software engineering and computer science, and it helps in designing and modeling computer systems.

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