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M 5/2/011
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No class.
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T 5/3/011
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HW due:
1. Read Chapters 7, 8, and 9 (pp. 63-86). Although this is a long reading
assignment, please note that most of the material is review, since most of it
describes language features you have already worked with in Java, Python, or
both.
2. Reread §7.6 (pp. 67-68), paying special attention to what the author has
to say about memorized knowledge versus algorithmic knowledge. Do you agree
with what he has to say about the pointlessness of spending years in school
learning to execute algorithms? Write a thoughtful, original paragraph. If
you feel that the study of algorithms is pointless (for example, learning how
to add fractions, or learning how to perform long division), what would you
propose as an alternative?
3. Write Exercise 7.2 on p. 67. You cannot use the math.sqrt function for
this exercise, nor can you use the ** operator, which performs
exponentiation, since if you could, the square root of 7 would be easily
found by typing either
import
math
print math.sqrt(7)
or
print
7**.5
4. Save the file mobylist.txt to
your hard drive, and make sure it is in the same folder that you are using to
save your Python programs.
5. Create a new Python source file (File / New command on the menu), and
enter the following lines in it:
myfi=open('mobylist.txt')
print myfi
When you press F5 to run your program, the result should be a line similar to
the gobbledygook shown in the middle of p. 81. Then issue the line
print
myfi.readline()
several times. If you count the line for aa
(a type of lava) as line 1, then on what line does the word aardvark appear in the Moby word list?
6. Write Exercise 9.1 on p. 82, using mobylist.txt instead of words.txt. If
you wish, you can use the snippet
k=myfi.readline()
if
len(k)==0:
print
'--END OF FILE--'
break
so that your loop exits cleanly when the end of file is reached. (Otherwise,
your program may hang, requiring you to press CTRL+C to terminate it.)
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W 5/4/011
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HW due: Write Exercise 9.5. This is a
medium-difficult exercise. If you cannot solve it, you will be expected to
show at least some pseudocode and/or a flowchart to document the ideas that
you explored. Steps must be clearly described. For example, you will earn no
credit with a flowchart like this one:
Why not? Why does this flowchart not qualify for points? The reason is that
it has not added any value. It would be like saying, “I have an idea for a
great app to run on the web. It would be really cool, and everyone would want
to join it. The steps are (1) I write the app, (2) everybody signs up, and
(3) I become as rich as Mark Zuckerberg.” Unless you flesh out the idea a lot
more than that, you don’t really have an idea that is worth anything, do you?
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Th 5/5/011
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Test (100
pts.) on all recent material. Test will be held in LJ-302, not our usual
classroom.
Format of the test will be as follows:
60 pts. for vocabulary (similar to last week’s quiz) and facts from class
discussion
40 pts. for 4 code snippets (10 pts. each)
At least one of the code snippets will be a translation from Java to Python,
and at least one will be a translation from Python to Java. You can practice
by reviewing your old HW and simply translating from one language to the
other.
The remaining code snippets will be in Python. When writing your Python code,
you must show indentation clearly. Minor syntax errors, as long as there are
not an excessive number of them, will not count against you.
One code snippet will probably consist of either an obfuscated block of
Python code or an awkwardly or inefficiently written block of Python code,
and your task will be to rewrite the same functionality in a better way.
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F 5/6/011
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HW due: Redo yesterday’s
test (the entire test, even the parts that you know you did correctly). You
may consult Internet resources, your textbooks, and the Java and Python
compilers. You may even consult other people, provided you document that
interaction. A score of 100% correct is expected for the HW assignment. You
may write directly on a printed copy of the test.
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M 5/9/011
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No class.
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T 5/10/011
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Class held
in LJ-302 again today (last-minute switch).
No additional HW due. That’s right! You have a rare weekend with no IPL
assignment. Yippee!
In class: Moore’s Law, logistic growth (“S” curve), exponential growth (“J”
curve), exponential decay (“L” curve), ICs, LSI, VLSI, and much more. If you
missed class, be sure to get notes from someone who attended.
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W 5/11/011
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HW due:
1. Skim this
helpful blog on the subject of getting started with Objective-C. Do not
install anything just yet.
2. Next, visit the GNUstep
download page and download the following 3 packages in the order listed:
GNUstep MSYS System, version
0.28.1
GNUstep Core, version 0.28.0
GNUstep Devel, version 1.3.0
3. Install those 3 packages, in the order listed, by running the .exe
programs that you downloaded. Accept all the default settings (installation
directory of C:\GNUstep, etc.), except that you should click the checkbox to
choose the “Windows theme” at the end of the second installation, the GNUstep
Core.
4. After installing those 3 packages, in the order listed, go back to the
blog (step 1). Try to create and run the “hello world” program, main.m, using
the instructions provided. This is a little bit tricky, but please give it a
good try, since following instructions like this is part of what Real
Computer Guys (RCGs?) have to do all the time. If you fail, don’t worry too
much, since this is where we will start at the beginning of class Wednesday.
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Th 5/12/011
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HW due:
1. Follow the instructions in the technical blog (see yesterday’s calendar
entry) and the instructions given in class yesterday in order to get your
helloworld.exe program to run. Note that helloworld.exe is a Windows
executable file that lives in the /mingw/emh_sw directory (or
/mingw/chase_programs, or /mingw/tommy_programs, or whatever you called your
playpen directory).
Helpful hint: Yesterday, we deduced
that /mingw in the GNUstep shell is equivalent to C:\GNUstep in Windows, but
not C:\GNUstep\GNUstep, which is something else.
2. Then, go back to the blog and follow the instructions to revise main.m and
create the GNUmakefile (note that there is no extension).
Important notes:
If you use Notepad as your editor, you will need to remove the .txt from the
file name.
Be sure to save GNUmakefile in the same directory in which you saved main.m.
3. From the shell, use the cd /mingw/chase_programs command (or whatever you called
your playpen directory), and then issue the
make
command. You may have to do this more than once. If all goes well, an obj
subdirectory will be created (in the shell, use the cd obj command to get there). Then type
TestApp
to run your first Objective-C application. Good luck! Keep tinkering and
trying if the first try fails (as it probably will)!
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F 5/13/011
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HW due:
1. Please finish yesterday’s assignment. Send e-mail to Mr. Hansen if you are
still stuck.
2. Set aside at least 35 minutes to start reading the following documents
from the Apple developer library:
Object-Oriented
Programming with Objective-C
The
Objective-C Programming Language
3. In your reading notes, focus on jotting down new terminology and questions
you have for Mr. Hansen. This is difficult material (despite the claim
that Objective-C is a “simple” language, asserted in the introductory
paragraphs of both documents), and it is intended for professional developers
who are contemplating writing apps for Apple’s platforms (e.g., iPhone,
iPad).
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M 5/16/011
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No class.
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T 5/17/011
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No additional HW due.
In class: Guest speaker, Mr. Ron Packard
of K12.com, will discuss the future of education in America.
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W 5/18/011
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Before school: JBAM
competition.
HW due: Skim §01 and §02 of this online document;
then read §03 and §04 with more care and attention. Reading notes are
required, as always.
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Th 5/19/011
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Save the
date! Field trip to the NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum, Fort Meade, MD.
Bus will depart at 8:00 a.m. and will return shortly before 1:00 p.m. If you attend, you will be excused from periods A-E
and the first half of F period. If you do not attend, there will be a
worksheet for you to work on. (See 5/20 calendar entry below.)
School dress is required, but you may leave your blazer on the bus during the
tour if you wish. Snacks are available from vending machines at the museum,
and a few snacks will be provided by Mr. Hansen.
Schedule at the museum:
0900-1020 Museum tour
1020-1040 Snack break
1045-1155 Lecture/workshop conducted by a mathematician from the
NSA (“MAGIC” conference room)
1200 Bus returns to STA
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F 5/20/011
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Before school: BIG
TRIG competition.
HW due (only for those who did not attend the field trip): Answer ANY FOUR QUESTIONS from this scavenger hunt. Ignore the Form
III/IV/V/VI markings.
In class: The Chasm Problem.
Chasm Problem (adapted from various
sources): Tim, Fred, Twiggy, and Warren are members of a band. (In the
original problem, the band was U2, and the members were Bono, the Edge, etc.)
The objective is to cross a dangerous chasm at night on a rickety suspension
bridge that will support no more than 2 people at a time. Because the bridge
is so rickety, a flashlight is required at all times by people on the bridge.
There is only one flashlight, and the flashlight may not be shared by more
than 2 people. When 2 people travel together, their time to cross the chasm
is determined by the slower person. Travel times are as follows:
Tim = 10 minutes
Fred = 5 minutes
Twiggy = 2 minutes
Warren = 1 minute
Objective of the Problem: Find a
way to get all 4 band members to the opposite side of the chasm in 17 minutes
or less. This can be done, but you have to be systematic in your problem
solving. There are no “tricks” like juggling, splitting people in half,
throwing the flashlight, etc. This is a straightforward problem that many if
not most “muggles” cannot solve, because they are unwilling to invest the
systematic effort in evaluating all the possible solution candidates.
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M 5/23/011
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No class.
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T 5/24/011
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HW due: First, read this handout on forward and backward chaining.
Then, show how backward chaining and
general problem solving strategies can explain the process of finding a
solution to last Friday’s chasm problem. Your writeup should satisfy the
following requirements:
1. Develop a notational system for showing clearly what occurs during a chasm
crossing and for keeping track of the cumulative time spent. Do not assume
that your notation is clear to other readers! Many of the notational systems
students used on Friday were so cryptic that they would have been
intelligible only to the student who made the markings. A compact notation is
desirable, but clarity is also required. Some words of explanation are
probably going to be necessary for your notation.
2. Complete sentences and a neat presentation are expected.
3. There is no credit for excessive verbosity, but be sure to write enough
words to make the meaning clear.
4. Be sure to explain exactly why it is that Tim and Fred must make a trip
together. (Hint: Think of proof by
contradiction, which you learned in geometry class.)
5. Then, explain how to use backward chaining to leverage the “theorem” in #4
into a full solution to the problem.
6. Be sure to prove that your claimed solution actually works.
7. A correct solution that is lacking in clarity will not earn full credit.
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