Component 2: Algorithms and Programming A Level Computer Science Worksheets, Questions and Revision

A team is designing a new online cinema booking system. Use decomposition to identify three separate sub-problems the team would need to solve, and state one detail that could be abstracted away for one of your sub-problems at an early design stage.

1. Break the overall system down into separate, manageable parts: (1) searching for and displaying available film showings, (2) selecting and reserving specific seats, (3) taking payment and issuing a booking confirmation.
2. Check that each sub-problem can sensibly be designed and solved on its own, without needing to know the fine detail of the others yet.
3. Choose one sub-problem, e.g. taking payment, and identify a detail that does not need to be decided yet, e.g. exactly which payment provider will process the card details.
4. Final answer: sub-problems are (1) showing search/display, (2) seat selection, (3) payment and confirmation; for payment, the exact payment provider used can be abstracted away at this early stage.