How to make abstract ideas more concrete
Peter Kugel · 1975
Games that students play, either against each other or against the computer, can help to make some of the abstract ideas from the theory of computing seem more concrete and more interesting than they now appear to many students. In this paper, I describe the general structure of some games based on such theoretical constructs as the Turing machine, the context-free grammar and the like. I indicate some of the ways that such games can be “built” either using pencil, paper and scrap materials or using computer programs. Some experiences with the use of such games, and some of their mathematical and pedagogical implications, are discussed.