Abstraction is just how closely related a computer language is to the computer's native machine code architecture. Obviously, the bottom of the 'ladder' is the machine code, but you can go even further down with microcode. The higher you go up on the 'ladder', the more "human-like" the code becomes (the code becomes more and more written in english).
Examples:
<main+0>: 01010101 10001001 11100101 10000011 11100100 11110000 10000011 11101100
<main+8>: 00100000 11101000 00011010 01000000 00000000 00000000 1100111 01000100
<main+16>: 00100100 00000100 01110000 01000111 0000000 11000111 00000100
<main+24>: 00100100 10000000 01011111 0100111 00000000 11101000 10100110 10001100
<main+32>: 00000110 00000000 10001101 01000100 00100100 00010100 10001001 0100010
^ Machine code
<main>: push %ebp
<main+1>: mov %esp, %ebp
<main+3>: and $0xfffffff0, %esp
<main+6>: sub $0x20, %esp
<main+9>: call 0x40530c <__main>
<main+14>: movl $0x477024, 0x4(%esp)
<main+22>: movl $0x475f80, (%esp)
<main+29>: call 0x469fac <operator<<>
<main+34>: lea 0x14(%esp), %eax
<main+38>: mov %eax, 0x4(%esp)
^ Assembly language
cin >> celciusTemp;
fahrenheitTemp = celciusTemp * 9 / 5 + 32;
cout << fahrenheitTemp;
^ C++
Believe it or not, but the above machine and assembly language examples convert a value in Celsius to Fahrenheit. The higher up you go on the abstraction ladder, the more the language abstracts away all of the little details from below.
Concrete
A Gold plated Ladder with Chrome Covered Chains around it, also with a mini electric fence - high voltage, with extra extension and ultimate defensive mechanism powered lasers when fighting against people and ladders, also with double and triple step extensions to attract pokemon! This ladder can be bought at you local "Dungeons Are Us" or "Brucie's Hardware Supplies" for $200 WINNING
abstract and general the concepts become, moving away from concrete details and closer to overarching ideas.
Hierarchical decomposition helps break down complex systems into smaller, more manageable components, allowing us to focus on details at lower levels of abstraction. This process enables us to better understand, analyze, and design systems by iteratively addressing each level of abstraction.
To identify elements at the top of the ladder of abstraction, one would focus on overarching concepts, principles, or ideas that encompass lower-level details or specific instances. This involves understanding general patterns, relationships, and frameworks that provide a holistic perspective on a topic or issue.
Concrete
Lower
top
abstractabstracttop
concrete
It is a tool for analysis of word meanings. Basically, words are placed higher or lower on the conceptual "ladder of abstraction" based on how they represent concrete or physical phenomena. Words that are higher on the ladder are more abstract than those that are lower.
at opposite ends of the continuum
feelling or intuition
Concrete examples or specific instances would be used to identify elements at the top of the Ladder of Abstraction, as they are more specific and closer to reality.
The "ladder of abstraction" is a comparison of words in terms of whether they apply to concrete phenomena (a coin) or to more abstract terms (wealth). The higher points on the ladder are the more abstract or general terms.
At the top of the ladder of abstraction are concepts like ideas, philosophies, or theories, which are highly abstract and general in nature. These elements are removed from specific instances or details and tend to be overarching principles that govern more specific and concrete concepts lower on the ladder.
concrete