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W 9/3/14
X
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First day of school.
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Th
9/4/14
A
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HW due (both periods):
1. Download the course textbook from www.bluepelicanjava.com.
Note: Yesterday, this link was
given incorrectly to the Period 2 section. Sorry for the mistake! Period 5
was told the correct link.
2. Send Mr. Hansen an e-mail. Be sure to sign
your message and to put a double
underscore at the beginning of your subject line.
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F 9/5/14
B
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Period 2 HW due (including
new students Ryan, F., Ryan H., Zack G., and Andrew M.): Start reading in
your textbook. The rest of this assignment is not due until next week.
Period 5: No class.
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M 9/8/14
C
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HW due (both periods): Work
on tomorrow’s assignment. Written work must conform to the HW guidelines.
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T 9/9/14
D
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HW due (both periods):
1. Quickly skim through Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 to make sure you already understand
everything there. If there is anything that looks unclear or unfamiliar, then
read the lessons word for word, and do the project on the lower half of p.
1-3, plus the following exercises on p. 2-3: #3, 5, 8, 10. If you skip over
this portion of the HW assignment, that is OK, but note that in so doing, you
are asserting that you already completely understand Lessons 1 and 2.
2. Read Lesson 3. As you read, perform all the examples given in the text.
For example, when the text says that myPet.substring(4,12)
returns ky the d, don’t simply take the
author’s word for it. You need to actually write a line of code, add a println
statement, and check to make sure that the example is correct as posed.
Throughout the year, bonus points will be provided for students who spot
errors in the examples.
3. Write out answers to the following exercises in Lesson 3: #1, 4, 5, 6, 7,
10.
Note 1: It is perfectly acceptable
to use your computer to help you answer these exercises. That is not
cheating. However, it is more educational if you make a guess first (if
possible) and then use the computer to verify that you were correct.
Note 2: You may need to do some
additional research, either online or in the appendices of your text, in
order to answer some of the questions. Be resourceful! This is the 21st
century, and you are expected to use the resources at your disposal.
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W 9/10/14
E
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Period 2: Redo #10 from the
previous assignment so that it uses the ellipsis character (ASCII character
133, or 85h) instead of 3 periods.
Period 5: No class.
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Th
9/11/14
F
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HW due (both periods):
1. Read Lesson 4. Reading notes are required, as
always.
2. Write Lesson 4 exercises #1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13. Remember to write down a “GUESS”
and label it as a guess before you run the code snippets.
3. If you have not already done so, redo #10 from the previous
assignment so that it uses the ellipsis character (ASCII character 133, or
85h) instead of 3 periods.
Also: Please check your e-mail for
an important announcement about an upcoming possible field trip.
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F 9/12/14
G
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Period 2: No class.
Period 5: Please check your e-mail for an important announcement about an
upcoming possible field trip.
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M 9/15/14
A
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HW due (both periods):
1. Read Lesson 5. Reading notes are required, as
always.
2. Write Lesson 5 exercises #6, 7, 8, 12-15 all, 16. Be sure to write down
your guesses for #8 and #12-15 before you execute the code to check whether
you were correct. Remember, you learn more from your stumbles than from your
successes!
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T 9/16/14
B
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Field Trip: Meet near the minibus (Garfield St. at
the school access road, near the gate) to depart at 7:10 a.m. Please dress in
long pants, jacket, and tie. We will come back from the Capital Hilton at
about 11:05 a.m. and should be back on campus by about 11:25 a.m. Students
attending the field trip are excused from Blocks 6 and 1, as well as
ensemble. Try to attend chapel if possible.
Period 2: No additional written HW due. If you have time, please start
Thursday’s assignment (see below).
Period 5: No class.
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W 9/17/14
C
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Period 2: No class.
Period 5: No additional written HW due. If you have time, please start
Thursday’s assignment (see below).
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Th
9/18/14
D
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HW due (both periods):
1. Read Lessons 6, 7, 8, and 9. Reading notes are
required, as always.
2. Write #1, 2, 3, 4, and 13 in Lesson 6. Then do the additional problems
below.
3. Let exp(x) denote the natural exponential function, namely exp(x)
= ex, for any real number x. It is a mathematical
fact that for any positive number q and any real number r, the
expression qr can be rewritten as
exp(r ln q). Prove this fact.
4. Use the fact that qr = exp(r
ln q), regardless of whether or not you were
able to prove it, to answer #4 in Lesson 6 a different way, without using
Math.pow. You may have to do a little bit of research.
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F 9/19/14
X
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Form VI retreat
and NCS Spirit Day; STA underclassmen must report to class as usual. However,
it will not be a glum day.
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M 9/22/14
E
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Period 2: No additional
written HW due. However, those who missed class on Friday should watch the
first 42 minutes and 15 seconds of this video. We will
resume tomorrow with the elephant at 42:15.
Period 5: No class. However, those who missed class on Friday should watch
the first 42 minutes and 15 seconds of this video. We will
resume tomorrow with the elephant at 42:15.
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T 9/23/14
F
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HW due (both
periods):
1. Page 7-3, “Going in Circles” project, with the modification that we will
use the following ellipse area formula:
where capital S = length of semimajor axis, lower
case s = length of semiminor axis.
(Review from geometry class: “Major” and “minor” axes of an ellipse are the
longest and shortest chords through the center, respectively. “Semimajor axis” refers to half the length of the major
axis, and “semiminor axis” refers to half the
length of the minor axis.)
You will need more than one prompt, obviously. The first prompt should ask
for the area, as shown in boldface in your text. The second prompt should ask
for one of the axis lengths (not
the semiminor or semimajor
axis length, but the full axis length). The output will be the other full
axis length, with an appropriate message to the user identifying the answer
as being the full axis length.
Note:
This is our first programming project to be collected. Submission
requirements are as follows:
(a) Comments are required. At a minimum, you must have your name, the due
date, and a brief statement of purpose. Additional comments are encouraged,
but avoid commenting things that are obvious. For example,
double
semiMinorAxisLength; //stores the semiminor
axis length
is an example of overly verbose commenting, since the variable name is
already self-documenting.
(b) Send your source code by e-mail. Paste the source code into the body of
your message. Do not use a file attachment.
(c) If your source code does not compile, or if it does not produce correct
results, be sure to say so in your comments. The point penalty for a program
that does not meet requirements is reduced if you acknowledge that there is a
problem.
(d) The subject line of your submission should exactly match one of the
examples shown below. The subject line must begin with two underscore ( _ )
characters in a row, as shown. Make the obvious change to your name as
needed. There is no space between the double underscore and the word “Block,”
and there is exactly one space after the colon.
__Block
2 project due 20140923: Throckmorton, Jane
__Block
5 project due 20140923: Vargas, Ricardo
(e) Only the project source code is to be submitted by e-mail. For the
remainder of the assignment, shown below, use pencil and paper.
2. Write #6, 10, 11 on p. 8-4.
3. Write #1-12 all on p. 9-3. For #1-10, note the general code at the top of
the page. Be sure to write down your guess for the result in each case!
(Label it as “GUESS.”) Then, run the line of code to see if you were correct.
This is a tremendous learning opportunity. Don’t “shortcut” your learning by
omitting the guessing step.
In class: We will watch the final few minutes of the video on fractals
(beginning with the elephant at 42:15), and then we will take one or two
quizzes. Notes are permitted for questions concerning the video.
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W 9/24/14
G
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Period 2: No class.
Period 5: No additional written HW due.
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Th 9/25/14
A
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HW due (both
periods):
1. Read Lessons 10 and 11. Reading notes are required, as always.
2. Write p. 10-4 #4, 6, 7, 8.
3. Write p. 11-5 #9, 11, 13. (Note: Be sure to write a GUESS for #9
and #11 before you execute the code.)
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F 9/26/14
B
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Period 2 HW due: Reread p.
10-4 #4, and determine what the purpose of the code is. Then, rewrite it in a
less obfuscated version that has the same logic and produces the same output.
Provide additional wrapper code (including int q = 0; as well as input and output statements) so that you can compile,
test, and run your short program. Handwrite your working code on a sheet of
HW paper.
Period 5: No class.
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M 9/29/14
C
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Period 2: No class.
Period 5 HW due: Reread p. 10-4 #4, and determine what the purpose of the
code is. Then, rewrite it in a less obfuscated version that has the same
logic and produces the same output. Provide additional wrapper code
(including int q = 0; as well as
input and output statements) so that you can compile, test, and run your
short program. Handwrite your working code on a sheet of HW paper.
In class: Review.
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T 9/30/14
D
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Period 2:
Review.
Period 5: Test (see below).
Test (100 pts.) on everything covered
so far, including the fractals video. Questions on the video will be
limited to “big picture” concepts; see the grading guidelines below.
You will be required to write snippets of code and possibly some full
programs as well. However, computers and calculators may not be used during
the test. (This seems bizarre, but the reason is that you will be taking an
AP exam that is completely handwritten.)
A handwritten note card (maximum dimensions 8˝" by 5˝") is
permitted. For example, if you have trouble remembering the syntax
public
static void main(String[] args)
that we use at the beginning of each main method, or if you have trouble
remembering some of the syntax for string manipulation, you may jot those
down on your note card. In fact, you may write anything you wish on your note
card, front and back. However, computer printing is not permitted.
Grading Guidelines
1. Occasional minor syntax errors (a missing semicolon here and there, or a
forgotten closing brace) may be forgiven, as long as they are not systematic.
However, point penalties apply if you do something more serious, such as
omitting most of your semicolons, or consistently forgetting to put
parentheses around your conditionals in “if” statements.
2. Some students are still having trouble with writing digits, especially 4
and 9. Digits should match the standard model shown here:
Nonconforming digits may be deliberately misread in ways that impact your
grade. Correct digits all begin at the upper left corner, except for 8 and 9,
which begin at the upper right. By beginning all digit strokes at the top,
you can speed up your handwriting considerably. (Mr. Hansen can write faster
than most students.) Note: A digit
4 that looks like 4, while not
recommended since it takes more time to move your pencil to a different
starting point, is permitted as long as the crossing is completely clear. If
there is no crossing, or only a hard-to-see crossing, the 4 will be
deliberately misread as a 9. Also note that a “European-style” 1 and a
crossed 7, while not recommended, are also permitted.
3. Remember that the “quite sizzly” rules apply to all variable names.
4. Manual conversion to and from hex is required. Minor arithmetic errors may
be forgiven as long as they do not reveal a consistent pattern of
misunderstanding.
5. A calculator is not permitted. Accordingly, you should memorize your
standard facts of binary knowledge:
28 = 256
210 = 1024
212 = 4096
You may include these on your note card, of course, but you may also be
orally quizzed on them. The questions may be posed “in disguise.” Examples:
Q. How many patterns are possible with a byte of data?
A. Since a byte is 8 bits, and since each bit has 2 possibilities, there are
28 = 256 possibilities.
Q. In hex, what is the place value of the fourth position to the left of the
radix point?
A. From right to left, hex place values are 1, 16, 162, and 163.
Since 163 = (24)3 = 212, the
answer is 4096.
6. Some questions about base-2 logarithms may be included. For example, you may
be required to state the value of log2 1024, namely 10, or you may
be required to describe how you would use a run-of-the-mill scientific
calculator to compute log2 1000000. You might also be required to
estimate some base-2 logarithms. For example, you should be able to estimate
log2 1000000 without using a calculator. (The answer is about 20.)
7. The fractals video will be tested, but only the major concepts. For
example, you should definitely remember the name Mandelbrot, but you don’t
need to remember that he worked at IBM. You should remember that all fractals
exhibit self-similarity, and that this property seems to model how God/nature
has structured the natural world, but you don’t need to remember the exact
description of the Cantor set. You should recognize the names Cantor, Koch,
and Julia as being connected with “monster” curves, but you don’t need to
remember their full names or nationalities.
8. Terms that were defined in class but not in the textbook (e.g., file and chaos) may be tested.
9. What is mathematics? What is statistics? What is computer science (both
theoretical and applied)?
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