# What Does Abstraction Mean in Programming? ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) URL:: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21220155/what-does-abstraction-mean-in-programming Author:: stackoverflow.com ## Highlights > What is abstraction > Abstracting something means to give names to things, so that the name captures the core of what a function or a whole program does. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514068)) > Abstraction is a core concept in all of computer science. Without abstraction, we would still be programming in machine code or worse not have computers in the first place. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514071)) > The concept of a room is abstract and only exists in our head, because any room that actually exists isn't just a room; it's a bedroom or a living room or a classroom. > We want our code to thus represent our "mental chunking". It makes everything a lot neater and easier to deal with. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514081)) --- Title: What Does Abstraction Mean in Programming? Author: stackoverflow.com Tags: readwise, articles date: 2024-01-30 --- # What Does Abstraction Mean in Programming? ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) URL:: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21220155/what-does-abstraction-mean-in-programming Author:: stackoverflow.com ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > What is abstraction > Abstracting something means to give names to things, so that the name captures the core of what a function or a whole program does. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514068)) > Abstraction is a core concept in all of computer science. Without abstraction, we would still be programming in machine code or worse not have computers in the first place. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514071)) > The concept of a room is abstract and only exists in our head, because any room that actually exists isn't just a room; it's a bedroom or a living room or a classroom. > We want our code to thus represent our "mental chunking". It makes everything a lot neater and easier to deal with. ([View Highlight](https://instapaper.com/read/1414711856/16514081))