← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

Disadvantage: cannot judge unexpected situations

An automated system only follows its program and sensors, so it has no human judgement when something unexpected happens (like an odd obstacle). People are still needed to oversee it.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 6.1 Automated Systems — Module 42

Understanding Disadvantage: cannot judge unexpected situations in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The car only brakes because of the distance sensor reading, so anything else it cannot sense is ignored. Passing the problem to a person provides the human judgement that the automated system lacks. The car can only react in ways it was programmed to. An unusual obstacle may not match anything in its program. The robot has no common sense. If the coat matches what its sensors and program look for, it will treat it like a box. Give the reason: it follows its program and has no human judgement. Computers follow instructions very well, which is the point. The program only reacts to the conditions it was written to check, so it has no judgement for things outside them.

Common mistakes: THEN belongs to an IF statement. A WHILE loop has a condition and no THEN, so the line should be WHILE car_is_on = TRUE. The closing bracket is missing from the procedure call. It should be avoid(obstacle). The program can only avoid obstacles it already knows, so unknown ones go to a human.

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Learning
Duo
An automated system meets a situation its program does not cover. What does it do?
It follows its program, even if that is not the best actionIt uses common sense to work out a new plan
Matches
A driverless car will always decide the safest action when it meets an unusual obstacle.
↓
Wrong: the car only follows its program and sensor data, so it cannot use human judgement to decide what to do about an unusual obstacle.
Applying
Meanings
Term
cannot judge unexpected situations
Meaning
An automated system only follows its program and sensors, so it has no human judgement when something unexpected happens (like an odd obstacle). People are still needed to oversee it.
Practice
IF obstacle_type = "known" THEN
Testing
Gaps
distance < 5 THEN
Check Answer
Spots
1WHILE car_is_on THEN
2 distance ← READ(sensor)

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Quick Questions

1. An automated system meets a situation its program does not cover. What does it do?
A. It uses common sense to work out a new plan
B. It follows its program, even if that is not the best action ✓
An automated system only follows its program. It has no human judgement, so it cannot invent a sensible new response.
2. A driverless car's sensors detect a strange object it has never been programmed for. What is the likely problem?
A. It may not know how to react safely ✓
B. It will always decide the safest action by itself
The car can only react in ways it was programmed to. An unusual obstacle may not match anything in its program.
3. Which statement about sensors is correct?
A. A system can sense anything that happens nearby
B. A system can only react to what its sensors can detect ✓
A system only reacts to the data from the sensors it has. Anything those sensors cannot measure is invisible to it.
4. Which is a disadvantage of automation?
A. It cannot use human judgement in unexpected situations ✓
B. It gets tired and makes mistakes after a long shift
Getting tired is a human weakness. The disadvantage of automation is that it has no judgement when something unexpected happens.
5. Why do people still need to oversee an automated system?
A. They can step in when something unexpected happens ✓
B. The system cannot run without a person pressing every button
Most automated systems run on their own, but a person can use judgement and take control if an unexpected problem appears.

Match the Pairs

IF obstacle_detected = FALSE THEN drive() → The system only checks what its sensors report, so an unusual obstacle it was not programmed for may not be noticed.
ELSE stop() // no rule for this case → When the program has no rule for a new situation, it can only run its default action instead of thinking for itself.
The system can only react to the data from the sensors it has, so it cannot notice anything those sensors do not measure. → IF distanceSensor < 5 THEN brake()
People are still needed to oversee the system and take control when something unexpected happens. → IF unusualEvent THEN alertHuman()
A driverless car will always decide the safest action when it meets an unusual obstacle. → Wrong: the car only follows its program and sensor data, so it cannot use human judgement to decide what to do about an unusual obstacle.
Once an automated system is running, no person is needed to watch it. → Wrong: people are still needed to oversee the system because it cannot handle unexpected situations by itself.

Key Term

cannot judge unexpected situations
An automated system only follows its program and sensors, so it has no human judgement when something unexpected happens (like an odd obstacle). People are still needed to oversee it.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF distance < 5 THEN brake() ENDIF
Hint: Type the keyword that starts a decision the program has been told to check.
2. IF distance < 5 THEN brake() ENDIF
Hint: Type the comparison operator meaning 'less than'.
3. IF obstacle = TRUE THEN brake() ENDIF
Hint: Type the Boolean value the program tests for. It only reacts to what its sensor reports.
4. IF object = "car" THEN brake() ELSE go() ENDIF
Hint: Type the keyword for the fixed fallback branch. It runs for anything not listed, with no judgement.
5. IF object = "unknown" THEN alert_human() ENDIF
Hint: Type the keyword that follows a condition, so a person is alerted to oversee the situation.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A WHILE car_is_on THEN
B distance ← READ(sensor)
C IF distance < 5 THEN
D brake()
E ENDIF
F ENDWHILE
Line A — THEN belongs to an IF statement. A WHILE loop has a condition and no THEN, so the line should be WHILE car_is_on = TRUE.
Question 2
A obstacle ← READ(camera)
B IF obstacle IN known THEN
C avoid(obstacle
D ELSE
E alert_human()
F ENDIF
Line C — The closing bracket is missing from the procedure call. It should be avoid(obstacle). The program can only avoid obstacles it already knows, so unknown ones go to a human.
Question 3
A unknown = TRUE
B IF unknown = TRUE THEN
C alert_human()
D ENDIF
Line A — In pseudocode the assignment arrow ← stores a value in a variable. A single = is used for comparing, so the line should be unknown ← TRUE.
Question 4
A REPEAT
B reading ← READ(lidar)
C IF reading = unknown THEN
D alert human()
E ENDIF
F UNTIL car_stopped = TRUE
Line D — A procedure name cannot contain a space. It should be alert_human(), which calls a person to deal with the unexpected situation.
Question 5
A reading ← READ(camera)
B known ← FALSE
C IF known = TRUE
D continue_drive()
E ENDIF
Line C — The IF statement is missing THEN. The line should be IF known = TRUE THEN.

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