Abstraction as a bridging concept between computer science and physics

Abstraction is a fundamental concept in computer-science (CS) and other scientific disciplines. This paper examines the ways CS thinking patterns can contribute to achieving high levels of abstraction in physics. We examined the work of high school students taking a computational science course, where they designed computational models (simulations) of physics phenomena. We examined the evolution of their use of levels of abstraction in physics, using the framework of Epistemic Games [14]. Findings revealed that moving between levels of abstraction in CS enabled the students to move between levels of abstraction in physics. In particular, in CS the students moved from the high level of what the simulation should do to the low level of how it is done. At the same time, in physics they moved from the low level of thinking on a concrete physics phenomenon to the high level of formulating mathematical equations.