1

2
Computer
Science
Colouring
Book

3
 Copyright © 2020 by William Lau

Some Rights Reserved. “Computer Science Colouring Book” is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution -
NonCommercial - ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do
so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same
license as the original.
This summary is located here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

I am not affiliated or endorsed by any of the companies or products featured in this book in any way, shape or form. All
product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All company, product and
service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names,trademarks and brands does
not imply endorsement. This book is to be used for entertainment and educational purposes only.

ISBN: 978-1-9161163-3-7

For the latest free download of this book, go to http://bit.do/CSColouring

Please email feedback and corrections to the author: [email protected]

Twitter: @MrLauLearning

4
For Zi and Q

5
6
 CONTENTS
0. Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 9
1. Computer Architecture……………………………………………………...…. 11
2. Secondary Storage…………………………………………………………….… 19
3. Embedded Systems……………………………………………....……………. 27
4. Networks………………………………….……………………………….………... 35
5. Software………………………………………………………………….…….……. 47
6. Programming……………………………………………………………...………. 55
7. Data Representation…………………………………………………….……... 65
8. Work and Play………………………………………………………………..……. 79
9. Artificial Intelligence……………………………………………………………. 89
10. Colour Word Search………………………………………………………...….. 97
11. Colour and Match……………………………………………………...……..... 99
12. Copy and Colour…………………………………………………………….……. 101
13. Quiz Answers…………………………………………………………………….... 103
14. Further Reading..….….……………………………………………..………….. 104
15. Acknowledgements…..………………..………………………………….……. 106
16. Index…….……………………………………………………………………….……. 107

7
8
 Introduction
When we think of computer science, we may think it is difficult or perhaps it is
only for certain people. However, the beauty of computer science should be
something that everyone is exposed to, regardless of age, gender, race or
income.

It is true that computer science is challenging, but so to is learning to walk, so to

is learning to ride a bike and so to is learning how to speak. Despite the initial
struggle, we have managed to overcome these. There are always small steps
which we can take in order to achieve our goals in life and the same is true of
computer science.

I hope this book becomes a stepping stone to helping you learn more about
computer science. Yes, it will be challenging, however once you have learnt the
basics, you will find that the subject is empowering, liberating and fun in the
same way as walking, cycling and talking to friends.

Why a colouring book?

I made this book based on the accessibility of colouring and the freedom which
colouring offers. People often think of computers as silver, black, white or beige.
But they don’t have to be. You can re-imagine these in any colours that you
choose. There may be many objects that you have heard of but have no idea
what they look like or how they actually work. The images and accompanying text
help demystify the different devices, hardware and software that make up the
foundations of computer science.

Be bold. Get your colouring pencils, gel pens or glitter pens ready and embark on
a fun and gentle introduction to computer science. Feel free to share your
creations on social media using the hashtag #CSColouringBook

9
10
 Desktop Computer
The first desktop computers such as the IBM PC were beige-coloured – how
boring! Later, companies made black, grey and silver desktops. In 1998, Apple
famously released their iMac G3 desktops in a range of colours.

Go wild, you can colour in this desktop with whatever colours you choose!

The desktop computer is a general-purpose computer system. This means it can

perform a wide range of tasks. Whilst ready-made desktops can be bought in
shops, some people choose to build their own desktop with specific hardware.
We will cover a range of hardware throughout this book.

Computer architecture 11
12
 Laptop Computer
Computer systems come in many different forms. A popular portable version is a
laptop. Whilst laptops can perform most of the tasks that a larger desktop can,
they are generally less powerful than a desktop. Many come with built-in
webcams, microphones and speakers.

To avoid damage, you should always close your laptop screen when you are
carrying your laptop and avoid holding your laptop by the hinge.

Computer architecture 13
14
 CPU
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a microchip which processes all the data
and instructions in a computer system.

A CPU instruction cycle consists of three stages:

1. The CPU fetches data and instructions from memory. The instructions and
data are in binary format which means they are made up of 0s and 1s.
2. The CPU decodes the instructions to make sense of all the 0s and 1s.
3. The instructions are executed.

The CPU can perform billions of these “fetch-decode and execute” cycles
every second!

Computer architecture 15
16
 Main Memory
The CPU reads instructions from memory. The CPU has its own memory called
cache, however this is very small and only stores frequently or recently used
data. The computer’s main memory is in the form of RAM and ROM.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. This stores programs and data
currently in use. When a computer is turned off, all data in RAM is lost. RAM is
therefore described as volatile. Originally, all RAM modules had green circuit
boards. However, RAM now comes in various colours.

ROM stands for Read Only Memory. The main job of ROM is to boot up (start)
your computer when it is turned on. ROM in an embedded system (such as
washing machine) may contain the software for the device as this is unlikely to
change.

As ROM has such an important role in the boot up of a device, it is non-volatile

which means data is not lost when the computer is turned off. The CPU, ROM
and RAM chips are all directly connected to the motherboard.

Computer architecture 17
18
 Floppy Disk
If we want to save programs or files, we need a separate storage to main
memory. This secondary storage is non-volatile which means data is not lost
when the computer is turned off. The most reliable type of secondary storage is
magnetic storage. Examples include the floppy disk, magnetic tape and hard
disk drives.

For younger readers, the image above may look like the icon that you click on to
save your work. This icon is based on the floppy disk. Each floppy disk had a
plastic case which protected a magnetic disk inside. Between 1980 and 2000,
these disks were the dominant form of portable storage. Software was often
distributed on floppy disks. You could also save files such as word-processed
documents and images to a floppy disk. The files could then be carried from
home to work or given to friends.

By the early 2000s, optical storage such as CDs and DVDs began to dominate.

Secondary storage 19
20
 Hard Disk Drive
Magnetic storage gets its name from the electromagnets which are used to
magnetise and demagnetise sectors on a spinning disk or tape. A magnetised
sector on the disk could represent a 1, whereas a demagnetised sector can
represent a 0. Hard disk drives like the one below offer large storage capacity at
a relatively low cost.

The electromagnet on a hard disk drive is attached to the end of a moving arm.
The arm frequently has to move to different sectors and this takes time. By
modern standards, hard disk drives are considered to have slow access speeds.

Secondary storage 21
22
 Optical Storage
Beneath the clear plastic surface of an optical disk is a track which varies
between bumps and flat sections known as pits and lands. As the disk spins, a
laser is shone onto the disk and a sensor is used to detect a reflection from the
disk. The lands are reflective, so when the laser hits a land, the laser is reflected
back to a sensor. If the laser hits a non-reflective pit, no light is sent back to the
sensor. By varying the pits and the lands, 1s and 0s can be coded on a disk.

CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks are examples of optical storage. Optical storage is
cheap and universal - most people have a device that can play CDs and DVDs at
home. However, optical disks can get scratched and it is not possible to change
the contents on the majority of disks.

Secondary storage 23
24
 Solid State Storage
The Flash memory used in USB sticks, SD cards and solid state drives (SSDs)
have no moving parts making them fast and robust. This makes them ideal for
storing data in mobile phones, tablets and cameras. Although SSDs are more
expensive than hard disk drives, their fast access times are making them more
popular in desktop computers too.

Secondary storage 25
26
GPS Satellite Navigation
Computer systems can be built into everyday devices such as Satellite
Navigation devices, washing machines and digital cameras. Embedded systems
only perform a limited number of specific tasks.

Embedded systems have a single circuit board and the chips such as RAM and
the CPU are not designed to be modified or upgraded. The chips are often
soldered to the circuit board.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS 27
28
 Washing Machine
Unlike general-purpose computer systems, embedded systems are not designed
to be modified. The ROM in an embedded system contains special software
known as firmware - permanent software which only needs to be changed if a
fault develops.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS 29
30
 Digital Camera
A digital camera is an embedded system as it only performs a limited number of
specific tasks.

As cameras need to be portable and may need to save lots of video or photo
data in a short amount of time, modern digital cameras use solid state storage
such as SD cards.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS 31
32
 Quiz 1
1) What is the name of the component that processes all the data and
instructions stored in a computer’s memory?

2) What are the two types of main memory in a computer system?

3) What is the fastest, most portable and durable type of secondary storage?
Hint: It has no moving parts.

4) What type of light is used to read optical media such as a DVD or

Blu-ray disk?

5)The camera on the previous page is an example of an embedded system, can

you name another embedded system?

Computer architecture 33
34
 Networks
A group of computers connected together is called a network. Most schools and
large companies use a network because networks offer many advantages -
users can share files, an internet connection and resources such as printers.

Computers can be connected using wires or wirelessly. Wired networks are

faster and more stable. Wireless connections, also known as WIFI networks
allow people to move around whilst connected to the network.

Computer networks 35
36
 The Internet of Things
The Internet itself is a network - the largest network in the world. Sometimes the
Internet is referred to as the “cloud”. Any services or data storage provided over
the Internet can be referred to as “cloud computing”.

It is not just desktops, laptops and mobile phones that are connected to the
Internet. There are many other devices which can be controlled by their owners
through the Internet. Some people have their TV, lights, central heating and air
conditioning connected to the Internet. They can then control their household
devices through an app on their mobile phone. For example they can heat up
their house before they get home. All these devices connected to the Internet
are known as the Internet of Things or IOT.

Computer Networks 37
38
 Switch
We can connect several computers together in one building using a switch.

Each computer connects to one of the switch’s sockets known as ports. Switches come in different
sizes, some switches have 4 ports, others can have 48 ports. If you have more than 48 devices on a
network, you can have several switches!

Computer Networks
39
40
 Router
If you want to connect two different networks together, for example your home
network and the Internet, you need a router.

The router shown above is a wireless router. You will probably have one of these
at home. The antennae help broadcast the signal in different directions so that
you have a good signal throughout your house. Wireless signals can suffer from
interference from other wireless devices as well as physical obstacles such as
walls.

Computer Networks 41
42
 Server
A server is a dedicated network device which all other computers on a network connect to. The other
computers on the network are known as clients and will request services from the server.

Some servers allow you to login to your network and access shared files. Other servers on the Internet
store web pages that make up the World Wide Web.

Computer Networks
When you type a website address into a web browser on your computer, phone or tablet, it is a web
server which eventually receives your request and sends you the web page that you requested.

43
44
 Quiz 2
1) What is the name of the device used to connect computers together on
small network?

2) What is the largest network in the world called?

3) What is the name of the device used to store web pages on the World
Wide Web?

4) To connect two different networks, what device do you need to use?

5) Name an item connected to the Internet of Things?

Computer Networks 45
46
 Operating System
Hardware is any component that we can touch and feel. All of the previous
images have been hardware; the CPU, RAM and ROM are all examples of
hardware.

Computers are incredible because humans can tell computers what to do. We
do this through software. One of the most important pieces of software, which
every computer system needs to run is called the operating system.

The operating system manages the memory and all the other hardware that is
connected to your computer. Most modern computers allow a human to interact
with the computer using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) which has windows,
icons, menus and pointers. Desktop PCs run an operating system called
Microsoft Windows or Linux. Apple also have their own operating system called
MacOS.
software 47
48
 Utilities
The operating system is one form of system software, another group of system
software are known as utilities. These are used to maintain or improve the
performance of a computer. An example of a utility is anti-virus software
designed to scan for and then delete or quarantine computer viruses. Other
examples include backup software, which can be used to make a copy of your
computer system and your files.

You can avoid downloading viruses by only going on trustworthy websites.

Viruses can also come attached to emails so do not download files from
unknown senders.
software 49
50
 Application Software
Computers can perform many jobs. For common tasks, such as writing letters,
sending email, browsing the web and doing calculations, computer scientists
have made applications. These are also known as apps. Every app performs a
different task.

software 51
52
 Application Software
This book was made using several different pieces of application software -
illustration software, desktop publishing software and a web browser. The image
below shows the illustration software that I used to outline most of the images in
this book.

Many of the images in this book come from websites such as pixabay.com .
Pixabay uses a Creative Commons (CC0) license which allows creative people to
use the images from their website without having to pay a fee. To create this
colouring book, I manually outlined and filled in all the shapes in the images.

software 53
54
 Flowcharts
To write software, we need to have a clear idea of the problem we want to solve.
Once we have an idea of what the problem is, we need to formulate a solution.
For many problems, we can write an algorithm - a series of steps that are used to
solve a specific problem.

Some people like to think of algorithms like the recipes you follow when you are
baking a cake. There are a few ways that we can represent these algorithms, the
simplest of these is using flowcharts. The flowchart has a series of boxes
connected by arrows to show what happens next. Each shape has a different
role:

Rounded rectangles are used at the start and

end of algorithms.

Parallelograms are used to input data into an

algorithm or to output data. Most programs have
inputs and outputs.

Rectangles are used for processes such as

calculations.

Diamonds are used for decisions. Most programs

will have decisions. Someone travelling on a train
might enter their age when buying a ticket and
based on their age, the price will change. Here
the computer has made a decision or a
selection.

Programming 55
56
 Flowcharts
Here is a simple flowchart. It asks for a person’s name and then says Hello to
them ten times.

Start

INPUT
name

counter = 0

counter FALSE
< 10?

TRUE

OUTPUT ‘Hello’
+ name

counter = counter +1

Stop

Programming 57
58
 Programming: Blocks
When you first learn to write their own programs, you are likely to encounter
block-based languages. Examples include Scratch and Blockly. Here is the
previous algorithm written out using blocks:

Programming 59
60
 Programming: Text
As you begin to understand how programs work and how a computer uses logic
to make decisions and follow instructions, you will progress on to text-based
programming.

Writing large programs using blocks can become cumbersome as there will be
lots of blocks to drag and drop into place. Writing programs with text means you
can write large programs much quicker. The previous program can be written in
python using the three lines of code shown at the bottom of the page.

Programmers use special tools to write their programs called Integrated

Development Environments (IDEs). IDEs have their own way of colouring in
different words (syntax highlighting) so that the words stand out and are easier
to read and understand. It is the same as using different shapes in a flowchart
for different roles.

To mimic an IDE’s syntax highlighting, you could choose four different colours
and colour in the following words according to their grouping:

Group 1 functions: input, range, print.

Group 2 keywords: for, in.
Group 3 strings: The inverted commas ‘ ’ and the text contained within them.
Group 4: All other text.

This program is written using a language called Python. It is simple, yet powerful.
You can learn Python at www.pythonschool.net . There are also further
recommendations at the back of this book.

Programming 61
62
 Quiz 3
1) What piece of software does every computer system need in order to run?

2) Give an example of a piece of utility software?

3) A word processor, internet browser and illustration software are all examples
of what type of software?

4) In a flowchart, what is a parallelogram used for?

5) Programmers use a special piece of software to write their programs. What is

this software called?

Software and Programming 63

64
 Binary Numbers
Throughout this book, we have emphasised that computers process all their
instructions in binary i.e. 1s and 0s. The following pages will look at how we can
represent any data in binary, including numbers, text and images.

Binary is quite easy to understand once we think more closely about the
numbers that we use in everyday life. The number system we use is called
denary or decimal. Starting on the right, each column increases by a factor of
10.

So the number 931 can be read from right to left as one 1, three 10s and nine
100s. If you add these together you get the number nine hundred and thirty one.

With binary, the columns increase by a factor of 2. The prefix “bi” means “two”
and you will see this in words such as binoculars, bicycle, bicep-all involve two
objects: two sets of lenses, two wheels and two muscles. Binary also only has
two states 1 and 0.

So we can write the binary number 1011 and using the same method as we
used previously, this means we have one 1, one 2, zero 4s and one 8. If we add
these together, this gives us eleven. 1011 in binary is 11 in denary!

DATA Representation 65
66
 Binary Numbers
Here is a table of the first 16 numbers in binary from 0 to 15. A 1 can be seen
as on and a 0 as off i.e. if a number is a 0, you do not count that column at all:

8 4 2 1 Use the first column in the table on the

left to write down what the values of
0 these denary numbers are in binary:

1 0110
6:____________________

2
10:___________________
3
4 13:___________________

5
15:___________________
6
7
What would these binary numbers be in
8 denary? Try to remember the place
values for each column, then check
9 your answer on the left:
10 3
0011:_________________
11
0101:_________________
12
13 1110:_________________
14
15 0111:_________________

DATA Representation 67
68
 Characters
Characters and therefore any text (string of characters) can also be represented
using binary. One way of representing text is with the following “extended ASCII”
binary codes for each character:

01000001 1000010 1000011 1000100 1000101 1000110 1000111

1001000 1001001 1001010 1001011 1001100 1001101 1001110

1001111 1010000 1010001 1010010 1010011 1010100 1010101

1010110 1010111 1011000 1011001 1011010

Why not colour in the characters for your name or your favourite animal, then
write the binary value here:

What is the binary for the word: HELLO

DATA Representation 69
70
 Images
Representing images using binary codes is one of the most beautiful ways of
visualising how a computer stores its data. Images which are made using dots )
(pixels) are also referred to as raster or bitmap images. All images taken with a
camera use pixels.

Using only 1-bit and the values 1 and 0, we can colour in the grid below. I would
suggest that you leave the 0s uncoloured. Then pick one colour to colour in all
the squares (pixels) with 1s inside. There are three different images hidden in
the grids below.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0
0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

You will realise by the end that there are so many possibilities if we could
increase the number of colours that can be represented. This is covered in the
following pages.

DATA Representation 71
72
 Images
When we could only have one number in each pixel, we could only have two
possible colours throughout our entire image. If we want to increase the number
of colours, we can increase the “colour depth” by using more digits. If we use
two digits, this would give us four possible colours. You can pick two of your own
colours for the codes below:

00 Black
01
10
11 White

Now colour in the grids below using the colours from the table above.

11 01 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 01 11
11 01 01 11 11 11 11 11 01 01 11
11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 01 01 11 11 11 01 01 11 11
11 11 11 01 01 11 01 01 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 11 01 01 11 11 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 01 11 01 11 11 11 11
11 11 01 01 11 01 01 11 01 01 11 11
11 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 11
11 11 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 11 11
11 01 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 01 11
11 11 11 01 01 01 01 01 01 11 11 11
01 01 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 01 01
11 01 01 01 01 10 10 01 01 01 01 11
01 01 10 00 10 10 10 00 10 01 01
11 01 01 01 01 10 10 01 01 01 01 11
11 01 10 00 10 10 10 00 10 01 11
11 11 11 01 01 01 01 01 01 11 11 11
11 01 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 01 11
11 11 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 11 11
11 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 11
11 11 01 01 11 01 01 11 01 01 11 11 11 11 11 01 10 10 10 01 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 11 01 01 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 01 10 10 10 01 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 01 01 01 01 01 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 01 11 01 11 11 11 11
11 11 11 11 01 11 01 11 11 11 11

DATA Representation 73
74
 Images
To demonstrate what is possible with by increasing the colour depth to 3-bits, fill
in the table below which has the potential to represent 8 different colours.

000 Black 100

001 101
010 110
011 111 White

111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 001 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 001 001 010 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 001 010 010 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 111 111 000 001 010 010 011 011 000 111 111 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 111 111 000 010 010 010 011 011 000 111 111 111 111 111 111

000 000 000 000 000 000 010 010 010 011 011 011 100 000 000 000 000 000 000

000 001 001 001 001 010 010 000 011 011 011 000 100 100 100 101 101 110 000

111 000 001 001 010 010 010 000 011 011 011 000 100 100 101 101 110 000 111

111 111 000 010 010 010 011 000 011 100 100 000 100 101 101 110 000 111 111

111 111 111 000 010 011 011 011 100 100 100 101 101 101 110 000 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 000 011 011 100 100 100 101 101 110 110 000 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 111 000 011 100 100 100 101 101 110 110 110 000 111 111 111 111

111 111 111 000 011 100 100 100 000 000 000 110 110 110 111 000 111 111 111

111 111 000 000 100 100 000 000 111 111 111 000 000 111 111 000 000 111 111

111 111 000 100 100 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 111 111 000 111 111

111 111 000 000 000 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 000 000 000 111 111

DATA Representation 75
76
 Quiz 4
1) Computers generally process data in a series of 0s and 1s. What is this
number system known as?

2) What would the binary number 0010 be in denary?

3) What would the denary number 13 be in binary?

4) How many colours can be represented with a 2-bit colour depth?

5) If you only want to represent two colours, how many bits would you need?

DATA REPRESENTATION 77
78
 Graphics Tablet
Computer science is meant to make our lives easier and better. For example
computer scientists have invented various tools to help us in the work place. One
of these tools is the graphics tablet. A graphics tablet is an input device that
enables animators, graphic designers and architects to create digital drawings.

The drawings created with the stylus (pen) on a graphics tablet are far more
accurate than those that could be drawn using a mouse.

Work and Play 79

80
 VR Headset
VR Headsets are often seen as a device used by gamers. However engineers can
also use these in augmented reality environments to help with training and
solving problems in the real world.

VR is also used in advertising and artist installations. An extreme and somewhat

controversial use of VR was recently reported amongst cows. Researchers from
The Netherlands and Scotland found that calm cows produce more milk. As a
result, Moscow’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food developed a VR headset for
cows, so that in the winter, the cows see summer fields in their headsets instead
of the bleak wintry ones that they are stood in!
Work and Play 81
82
 3D Printer
Traditional printers let you print onto flat surfaces such as paper. 3D printers
allow you to print almost any 3D shape by building up a 3D object in layers from
bottom to top.

Imagine stacking different-sized rings on top of each other and the different
shapes that you could create with this. Imagine if these shapes were not all
round, but any shape. As these layers are stacked on top of each other, any 3D
shape could be printed. You can print replacement parts for toys, jewellery, art
and even clothing.

3D printing has been used in medicine (3D bioprinting) to produce prosthetic

limbs and organs. The 3D bioprinted organs can be used to test new medicines.

Work and Play 83

84
 Work and Play
It is hard to avoid the technology that computer scientists have brought into our
homes. From voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to
Smart Watches, Games Consoles and Smart TVs. There are so many ways to
access information.

Some people argue that there are negatives to the amount of technology in our
lives; we may become overly dependent on technology. Some people develop
tech addiction, which is just as serious as any other addiction. We should use
technology responsibly and remember that technology is there to help us when
we need it and at other times it is good to switch off and enjoy reality without
any technology.

Work and Play 85

86
 Event Horizon Telescope
Katie Bouman is a computer scientist who works in the field of computer imagery. At the age of 23, she
led the development of an algorithm which eventually captured the first images of a black hole 55m light
years from Earth. The team of 200 researchers, working together for over six years, used algorithms to
control a network of radio telescopes known collectively as The Event Horizon Telescope.

Work and Play

87
88
 Artificial Intelligence
In the same way that humans can learn things and become intelligent,
computers can be taught different things too. We can teach a computer how to
recognise human speech or how to drive. We can teach a computer how to
choose the correct medicine for an illness or how to play games such as Chess
and Go. The way that we teach computers is also known as machine learning
and with this, computers develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) and can make
decisions based on what they have learnt. AI is one of the most exciting areas of
computer science.

Teaching computers how to “think” and make decisions based on past

experience does raise some ethical issues. What data do these computers have
about us? Who has access to this data? What if these computers make a
mistake in their decisions? In some cases, these mistakes could result in a loss
of life. The following pages will show examples of artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence 89
90
 Robots
The word Robot was first used in a play written in 1920 by Karel Čapek called
R.U.R, which stood for Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum’s Universal
Robots). In the play, robots work for humans. It took over 40 years for this idea to
become a reality. The first robots were used in factories to assemble cars.
However, there are now a range of robots which are used as helpers around the
house. There are also many robot toys and Sony even made a robot dog called
Aibo.

Artificial intelligence 91
92
 Robots
In his 1920’s play, Karel Čapek raises many ethical issues: Is it right for humans
to force machines to do work? What if artificial intelligence develops so much
that robots can begin to think for themselves? What if a robot harms a human?
Is it OK for robots or machines to replace humans in certain jobs? All of these
ethical questions are still being dealt with by computer scientists and society as
a whole today.

Artificial intelligence 93
94
 Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are vehicles which drive by themselves. Self-driving cars
and trains are becoming quite common. Eventually, we may also have self-
driving trucks which can deliver goods without a driver. These autonomous
vehicles use different sensors and artificial intelligence to “see”. This ’computer
vision’ and programmed artificial intelligence allows these autonomous vehicles
to make decisions whilst driving. Based on thousands of hours of video footage,
the vehicles are trained into how to drive safely and how to respond at red lights
or if a person walks in front of the car.

Self-driving cars have very few accidents and some autonomous cars such as
those made by Tesla have collision avoidance systems which detect and avoid
crashes.
Artificial intelligence 95
96
 Colour Word Search
Find and colour in the words: Hardware, CPU, RAM, ROM, Desktop, Laptop,
Volatile, Memory, Binary, WIFI, Router, Network

97
98
 Colour and match
Colour in the hardware on the left. Then draw lines to match them up to their
correct names:

RAM

CPU

Graphics
Tablet

Router
99
100
 Copy and colour
Use the grid to copy the drawing on the left, then colour them in.

101
102
 Answers
Quiz 1
1) CPU
2) RAM and ROM
3) Solid State Storage
4) A laser, either red or blue-violet
5)The camera on the previous page is an example of an embedded system, can
you name another embedded system?

Quiz 2
1) Switch
2) The Internet
3) (Web) server
4) Router
5) Smart watch, central heating, air conditioning, TV, lighting and many more...

Quiz 3
1) The Operating System
2) Anti-virus, backup software, Firewall, compression software, disk
defragmenter, auto-update
3) Application software
4) Inputs and Outputs
5) Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Quiz 4
1) Binary
2) 2
3) 1101
4) 4 colours
5) 1 bit

QUIZ ANSWERS 103

 Further Reading
You can never have too many books. These are some books that will help take
you further on your journey to becoming a computer scientist:

Title Author Category

Computational
Computational Fairy Tales Jeremy Kubica
Thinking
Computational
Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding Linda Liukas
Thinking
Brown Dogs and Barbers: What’s Computer Science All Computer Science
Karl Beecher
About? Theory
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Computer Science
Charles Petzold
Software Theory
Computer Science
How Computers Work: The Evolution of Technology Ron White
Theory
GCSE Computer Science 9-1 Complete Revision Visual GCSE Computer
H A Billinghurst
Notes Science
Intro to Python
Python Basics Level 1 Chris Roffey
Programming
Intro to
intermediate
Python by Example Nichola Lacey
Python
Programming
Intermediate
Little Book of Algorithms William Lau Python
Programming
Intro to
intermediate
Code This Game! Meg Ray
Python
Programming
Making Games with Python & Pygame Python
Al Sweigart
E-book: inventwithpython.com Programming
Intro to
My Amazing Book of Broken Programs: JavaScript Kiki Prottsman intermediate
JavaScript
Raspberry Pi and
Adventures in Raspberry Pi Carrie Anne Philbin
Programming
Maker, Physical
The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse: Defend
Simon Monk Computing and
Your Base with Simple Circuits, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi
Electronics
The Vignelli Canon
Massimo Vignelli Graphic Design
E-book: www.vignelli.com/canon.pdf
Thinking With Type Ellen Lupton Typography

104 FURTHER READING

A few extra books and websites for good measure:

Title Author Category

Intermediate to
www.pythonprogramming.net
Sentdex advance Python
See also: Youtube channel- sentdex
programming
Making games
www.kidscancode.org Chris and Priya
using Python and
See also: Youtube channel- KidsCanCode Bradfield
Pygame
Computer Science
Youtube channel– MrLauLearning William Lau
tutorials
Programming
Youtube channel– Tech With Tim Tech With Tim
tutorials
Python
Youtube channel- Corey Schafer Corey Schafer Programming
tutorials
A-Level and
Youtube channel– Computerphile Computerphile advanced
Computer Science
Craig Sargent and Computer Science
Youtube channel– CraigNDave
David Hillyard tutorials
Computer Science GCSE and A-Level
Youtube channel– Computer Science Tutor
Tutor Computing tutorials
www.3dami.org Peter Kemp Digital Art
GCSE and A-Level
www.revisecomputerscience.com Sam Wickins
revision
A-Level and
www.geeksforgeeks.org Geeks For Geeks
University level
How We Learn Benedict Carey Learning

Why We Sleep Matthew Walker Wellbeing

FURTHER READING 105

 Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Zi, Q and Suki for being my daily inspiration. You are the colour
in my life– playful, fun and happy souls.

Thanks to the students at Central Foundation Boys’ School for enthusiastically

embracing the challenge of learning more about Computer Science. Thanks to
my colleagues for their continued support: Leila Lassami, Lloyd Stevens, Jaime
Vega, Gavin Tong, Sahima Patel, Jamie Brownhill, Agata Obirek, Pat Cronin and
John Seery.

Thanks to all the teachers that continue to encourage me to create these

resources: Elizabeth Hidson, Maria Parkes, Waheeda Shaikh, Alex Parry, Eirini
Kolaiti, Jane Waite, Sue Sentance, Trevor Bragg, Darren Travi, Ilia Avroutine,
Katie Prestwich, Corinne Flett, Jo Parkes, Rebecca Ngakane, Adam Scourfield,
Phil Beadle, Oli Knight, Peter Kemp, Jo Taylor, Linda Liukas, Mark Guzdial, Doug
Lemov, John Feleppa, Michael Jenkins, Damian Burrin, and the wider CAS,
NCCE, CSTA and Facebook community.

Thanks to Mum, Dad, Anita and Steve Marshall, Tung, Mary and Wendy Hau,
Susan Nemcek, Jeremy and Jennifer Franklin, Ariane Gras, Richard Morgan,
Nathan Coppard, Robert Lessels, Florent Gonthier, Nadia Lumley, Rian Perle,
Charlie Marbles, Spencer Whatmore, Thomas Bird, Carl Stratton, Eric Liu,
Karman Law, Angharad Jones Buxton, TJ Jones, Yasmin Coutinho and Andy
Swann for your support over the years.

Lastly, thanks to the generous illustrators who provided many of these images
under a Creative Commons license. Special thanks to Pixabay, Vecteezy, Vexels,
Freepik.com and MacroVector for hosting many of the original vector images
which were used as a starting point for the images in this book.

106 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 Index

3D Printer: 83 Algorithm: 57 Application Software: 51 Artificial Intelligence: 89

Block-based programming:
Autonomous Vehicles: 95 Binary: 65 Binary Numbers: 67
59

Camera: 31 Characters: 69 CPU: 15 Desktop Computer: 11

Event Horizon Telescope: 87 Floppy Disk: 19 Flowchart: 55 GPS Navigation System: 27

INDEX 107
 Index

Graphics Tablet: 79 Hard Disk Drive: 21 Illustration software: 53 Images: 71, 73, 75

Internet of Things (IOT): 37 Laptop Computer: 13 Network: 35 Operating System: 47

Optical Storage: 23 RAM: 17 Robots: 91 ROM: 17

Router: 41 Server: 43 Solid State Storage: 25 Switch: 39

108 INDEX
Text-based programming: 61 Utilities: 49 VR Headset: 81 Washing machine: 29

INDEX 109
 Also by William Lau...
For teachers and leaders:

Teaching Computing in Secondary Schools: A Practical Handbook. This is a book

that will help teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders. There is a focus on
computing, however the principles can be applied to many subjects. From
planning and curriculum design, through to delivering lessons and managing a
team.

For teachers and students:

The Little Book of Algorithms. This book was written to help GCSE students build
fluency with their Python programming. It covers practically all of the key
programming constructs and algorithms that a student is likely to encounter in
their GCSE Computer Science exam.

Computer Combat Cards. A fun and educational card game designed to

introduce you to a range of computer systems and allow you to compare their
stats. In playing the game, you will solidify your understanding of the factors that
affect a computer’s performance. Suitable for ages 6+.

Available on Amazon or www.computercombatcards.com

1101110
110
 Competition
I’d love to find out more about the people who have bought or downloaded this
book. To enter into a competition to win 1 of 100 packs of Computer Combat
Cards, simply answer the four questions below using the form at:

www.computercombatcards.com/contact/
Alternatively, you can email the answers to the following questions to
[email protected]:

1) How did you find out about the Computer Science Colouring Book?

2) What was your favourite page to colour in?

3) Do you want to learn more about Computer Science?

4) What age group are you in?

Under 7 14-16 26-45

7-10 17-18 46-60
11-13 19-25 61+

COMPETITION 111
112