Fundamental Data Structures

information to be processed: abstraction of some part of the real world
computer has a selected set of data about the real world
this data is an abstraction:
- certain properties/characteristics of the real world are ignored because they are considered peripheral to the problem
- therefore represents a simplification of facts
problem solving: defining the set of characteristics relevant to the problem
the choice of representation may involve several levels of detail: consider deciding the position of an object.
- polar v. cartesian coordinates (and selection of origin)
- floating point v. integer representation of coordinates

The concept of data type

in maths, we have different types: whole, integer, rational, etc...
principle: every constant, variable, expression, or function is of a certain data type
adherence to this means the compiler can check constructs for legality and compatibility
programming languages provide base data types, which can be extended by the programmer
cardinality: the number of distinct values belonging to some type T