21. Mental Blocks: The Fear of Starting Object-Oriented Problem Solving The initial step in solving many problems is to identify the obvious objects in the problem description. If you are given a recipe, for example, the first thing you do is to identify the ingredients. Some may already be in your cupboard or refrigerator. For others, you may have to go shopping. Object-oriented problem solving involves much the same process. You look at a problem statement and make a list of the objects in it. Some of those objects are already available in the Java library, just waiting to be used. Other objects you may have to write yourself. Remember that the computer can do only certain things. Your primary concern, then, is making the computer coordinate the actions of objects to produce the desired effects. If you keep in mind the objects, operations, and data types available in Java, you won’t design an algorithm that is difficult or impossible to code. ( PARTY PLANNING Problem: You and some friends want to have a party on Saturday night, and you need to plan and prepare for it. )