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You are expected to check for new announcements every day.
We recommend that you use the Newsgroup as well.
If you already did the survey but didn't submit the
signed statement,
please do so by the same deadline!
FINAL EXAM: Please don't email asking about grades.
I
will post an announcement about grades soon.
I don't think grades
are usually posted, but I'll announce the official
policy.
Sorry -- I'm getting hammered with email.
FINAL EXAM, PART 2: Grades will posted in Carpenter
perhaps Friday, but likely Monday.
You can also submit self-addressed stamped envelopes
to
Laurie Buck with a list of information you wish mailed
to you.
FINAL EXAM, PART 3:
Laurie Buck will *not* email your grades!
Please follow instructions, above.
Old Homework and Prelims:
I have HW5 and old prelims in my office. Next semester,
you can pick up your work in mid-February.
David Schwartz: 2-4PM M-F (I might have to cut short on
Thurs)
Debra Goldberg: no hours 12/13; Fri 12/10, 10 AM - noon, usual
location; other hours by email appt.
Raju Rohde: usual times, others by by email appt.
Mike Singer: all hours cancelled.
Final Exam Conflicts:
If you have a conflict with the CS100 final
exam, contact Laurie Buck at 303 Upson, even if you have already so.
Send her your name, ID, a schedule of your other final exams, and a
few suggested times for taking a makeup.
We will contact you AFTER the final on Monday, December 13 to schedule
the make-up exam. We expect to be able to find a suitable time
BEFORE
Saturday, December 18, which is the official date designated for
conflicts, but will use the 18th if necessary.
Course Evaluation:
As I posted in lecture, we'll be doing this online. Thomas Yan created
a form that CS100B
will borrow (all hail Planet CS100A :-) There's a further incentive
for CS100B students - we'll award bonus
points to your lowest test score, though I haven't determined how much
yet.
The following link has the evaluation form.
READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!
Go to
CS100B
Course Survey
Final Exam details: Don't forget to look here.
Course Evals:
The problems with Course Survey have been fixed.
The Submit button works again, so please print the confirmation
generated when you press the Submit button rather than the
completed original survey.
(If somehow the Submit doesn't work, *then* go ahead and print
the completed original survey.)
thanks for your patience and cooperation --
we are getting very valuable feedback from this survey.
More refined list of test topics: I wrote a list at the review
session, but for those who couldn't/didn't make it:
inheritance, searching (really basic -- know linear search), select
sort (yes, you need this!), inheritance,
abstract classes, polymorphism (forgot to mention -- yes, it's on the
test), static vs nonstatic, arrays,
code tracing, MATLAB (see HW6 and lecture notes), encapsulation, some
definitions from 1st/last lecture.
What's not on the test -- exceptions, threads, GUIs, graphics, random class, interface.
Examples and Samples: I hope you checked recent posts of online
examples. I answered some questions that
popped up. In fact, I just added an example a few minutes ago that
answers a question that popped up in the review
session. I'll try to finish the sample problem solutions by this evening
or tomorrow afternoon.
12/8
Makeup HW: *I* graded them. They should be at Carpenter by now.
I'm posting the Java solution on the Homework page.
More online examples: I've got a few more I want to post.
I just posted them. I recommend you include them in your
studying, though I won't include random numbers on the final exam.
Final Exam topics: A few people have asked -- to clarify:
everything covered in lecture and section except exceptions and threads,
everything covered in programming assignments,
all online examples
So, you should know procedural programming, object oriented programming,
static vs nonstatic, encapsulation, inheritance,
some abstract classes (yes, it's on the test this time), this,
some searching, sorting, MATLAB. I strongly recommend
understanding PL3 very thoroughly.
Review Session: This was announced in lecture. If you missed,
check out the Exams link for info.
HW6: I just posted the solutions.
Samples: I just posted a bunch of sample questions here.
Granted, some are a bit vague, but for those needing practice,
now's your chance. I'll likely post even more examples as I think of
them.
Final Exam Review: I changed the schedule. See the exams link.
I'll give this session. In the next couple
weeks, I'll post example problems that we'll go over in the session.
During the session, I'll also try to
highlight key issues covered by the final.
HW6: The Saga Continues
From Debra: if you use eval instead of str2double
you can enter values like pi, pi/4, 3.1416
MATLAB tips:
You can select other directories and many other M-Files. For fun, look for trapz. Hint: see which.Click on the third icon from the right in Command Window. (The Path Browser icon.) Click on C:\MATLAB\toolbox\matlab\funfun in the Path Browser Window. Click on any of the functions shown on the right.
End of the semester announcements:
Be sure to attend lecture this week -- lots of announcements and maybe
a few treats.
Forwarded From the CS Ugrad Office (303 Upson):
Regular consulting hours will end this Friday at 6pm. Special
consulting
hours will be held next Tues. - Fri. 2-5pm. this is the last
opportunity
students will have to pick up graded papers and submit regrades.
HW6 will be available for students to pick up in Carpenter next Tuesday,
beginning at 2:00. HW6 regrades will need to be submitted in
Carpenter by
5pm Friday.
Students should check the grade posting in Carpenter next week and report
any recording errors or omissions to Laurie Buck, during her office
hours, by 3:00
Monday the 13th. A grade posting with HW6 will be in Carpenter
by 2:00 Tuesday.
Final Exam Review Session:
I'm trying to reschedule from 12/11 to another date before the final
exam on 12/13.
I want to administer this myself, but I have a schedule conflict on
12/11. I'll keep you
posted.
If you guys don't mind, could you post your story
to the newsgroup in ASCII? I didn't get a chance to photocopy many,
so some of the names were lost. I also keep a
scrapbook and would like to save whatever I can. Plus, I can pick official
"runner-ups." Thanks!
Prelim Review: We're going over the PL3 solutions today and tomorrow
in Section. I strongly recommend
that you attend, especially since the final exam will assume you completely
understand the principles in the
test.
HW6 and Makeup HW: Actually, everyone should still do the makeup
even if you can't replace other HWs. Mainly,
the assignment is a Java program for basicallly the same kind of work
you're doing in HW6. Everyone who needs more
programming practice is STRONGLY encouraged to do both. You'll also
get a chance to see how programming in
different languages works. It's kind of amusing, especially when trying
to keep track of syntax and those blasted
semicolons ;-)
HW6 Hardcopies: I'll be dropping them off about 4:15. I have
to wait for office hours to officially end.
HW5 solutions: Also just posted. And I'm also waiting for it
to appear.
PL3 Solutions: Just posted in exams link. I think the graders are gunning to finish by tonight.
Dilbert guy: Whoever gave me the cartoons -- I got 'em scanned. I'll bring them to lecture. Thanks!
HW5: I'm going to try to have the best story win sort of prize...I
can't guarantee anything great, but there'll
be something. So, do your best! Yes, HW5 is due tomorrow, but it shouldn't
take too long to do.
HW6: Yes, there is one. I'm supposed to do an assignment using
Matlab. It should be posted by Fri morning.
(I'll announce more accurately tonight.) I do realize that it's also
a lot at once, so I'll try to keep it short.
But, you will still something interesting to analyze (hydralic head...yes,
it's a real term.) Next year's class
gets flocculation.
More news...will post later today.
Typos in online code? A couple students pointed out minor bugs.
If you find anything, please let me know.
I updated arrays_mixedtypes already.
Matlab: Well, I decided to jump ahead and start Matlab, mainly
because you have another homework to
do, and it's in Matlab. So much for Java. I'll return to Java for the
last day of classes. I'll try to post more
examples to cover some stuff we've missed so you have head start in
211.
Matlab Help: Check out Handouts link for Matlab and Systems of Equations files.
PL3 topics: These were announced in lecture. Brief reminder:
chaps4, 6, 8, maybe some of 9. Practice
with the many online examples. Plus, you might want to review the techniques
you used in HW4. I
also posted sample questions and solutions from chaps4 and 8 from L&L.
Note that you should have
procedural and OO techniques down pat.
HW4: Yes, it's at Carpenter.
Extra office hours: If you need extra help from me, you can drop by between 2 and 4PM on 11/16.
Smith-Waterman Algorithm: No, it's not on the test...it's on
the final! Nope, just kidding ;-) You should
know the techniques, like arrays and strings and conditionals and iteration,
but you do not need to
memorize the approach for the prelim or the final.
Programming style: If you want to get an idea how horribly
you can write a program, check out
http://www.ioccc.org/index.html.
Granted, C isn't Java, but they are related.....
Section notes: Turns out there were a few bugs in chap14.txt. I posted a cleaned up version here.
Lecture examples: More posted every day. I'm posting more for
tomorrow. They cover the rest of chap 8
and parts of chap 9.
More announcements: will be posted in lecture.
HW5:
almost done -- will post soon.
HW4:
Solutions posted.
Makeup HW:
If you missed homeworks 1 and 2 because you registered late, I finally
made a makeup assignment.
THIS ASSIGMENT IS INTENDED FOR ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO MISSED 1 AND 2.
You will have to look up some numerical techniques on your own, but
it's not too tough. Please, no
partners allowed (wouldn't make sense). Look here
for the assignment.
HW5:
Slight correction and update -- you need to read
CHAPTER 7, the chapter on graphics.
This assignment has a different feel and flavor
then previous assignments...and consequently, I need
a couple more days to prepare. I am aware
that the HW is close to PL3, and I'm taking that into account.
Please continue to bring all programs to lecture.
HW5
This assignment will involve an interesting combination
of skills you've practiced.
You should read Chapter 8 -- the assignment will use some graphics.
Thurs lecture 11/4:
Be sure to bring programs posted on 11/1.
HW4 and Gaps:
There's been some questions concerning some terms used in HW4.
The following is a post courtesy of Debra:
A gap is in essence a blank space used to create a better alignment
with the
remaining characters, or to complete a shorter sequence so it can be
compared
with a longer one. It is noted in the alignment as a dash ("-").
The gap penalty can be thought of as the weighted distance between any
character and a gap.
Gaps and gap penalties are *only* used for the minimum distance problem,
*not* Hamming distance or weighted distance.
A score is another word for a distance (sorry about that).
An optimal score is a minimal distance.
An alignment is a way of pairing characters (DNA characters and/or gaps)
so
that a pairwise sum of distances can be computed.
For example, if we align CAT with AT as follows:
CAT
AT-
we will add the distance between C and A with the distance between
A and T,
and add to that the gap penalty (i.e. the distance between T and -).
Anyone who lost points on the structured programming part of the answer
(about 1 point, maybe 2 -- depends on
your answer) deserves to have credit returned if s/he wants. (You would
need to fill out a regrade request. I will
announce again in class on Tues.) Anyone who received full credit on
PL2, problem 1b can keep those points.
What's the difference? Read page 56 of L&L. Structured programming
involves using a language that follows a
controlled path, like executing from top to bottom, according to rules
defined in the particular language. I misread that
portion -- OOP and procedural programming both incorporate the structured
programming approach.
I'm sorry about any confusion or frustration this might have caused. Please let me know if you need any other help.
Intervals:
How can I resist? I was leafing through the course guide...guess what
I found? Look on page 9 at the bottom in
the Sets section :-)
Email:
I just sent email to students who have or might be "slipping" based
on the PL2 scores. I just want you to know
that I'm trying to keep track of all the students and try to help anyone
who might be falling behind. I had one email
bounce from AOL, so, unfortunately, one student didn't get the email.
If you do need help, please come talk to me or any of the consultants.
More Programs:
Yes, I like arrays. So, I posted a bunch of examples online,
yet again. Many of these
examples arose from questions in class. I do expect you to understand
each of them.
Email and HW4:
A bunch of people emailed me questions about HW4. I may have to defer
these to the TAs...
Please bring questions to sections. BTW, I volunteered to perform at
Ithaca College on Nov 1
(4-5:30PM, Park Hall Auditorium), so the TAs are covering my Monday
sections. (What am I performing?
The poster is on my office door -- it's a little hard to describe --
a grad student from Nigeria was in need
of drummers to help out with a "performance" called Revolution and
Remembrance: Power to the People! --
the "show" involves a lot of poetry reading, drumming, dance, and "multimedia"
aspects...no, I'm not
dancing for this, but I have danced on stage before, believe it or
not. I might sing a little bit, though. And no,
no heavy metal this time, though I have sung in that style, too :-)
Debra asks that you read her post about understanding pseudocode.
Look inside the newsgroup and read the posting before you attend.
I will extend my office hours until 4:30 10/29 if you also need
to see me.
Website and Programs:
I just checked -- the programs I've been posting actually have access
now.
Web:
The web had gone for a couple of days -- about
5 students emailed me concerning that. Fortunately the
email ceased ;-) I just checked the programs
in Programs and they're available.
Web2:
Actually, I might still be having trouble --
I just posted more examples and they're
not appearing. argh! Please be patient.
More examples:
Yes, I promised more examples, like exiting from
a program....patience -- they'll be posted soon.
Smith-Waterman Algorithm and HW4:
There's been some requests for more "dirt" on
the approach. I talked with Debra, who's our resident
computational genomics expert. We're trying to
secure a seminar room on Fri this week. I'll keep you
posted.
Academic problems:
I'm trying to obtain an email list of students
who might be "in trouble" (did poorly on recent PL or HW).
If you're having problems with the course, I
have a fair idea who you are (even if I can't connect a name to
a face -- I have the overall gradelist.)
I know what it's like to struggle with a course
-- remind me sometime to tell you about my trials with
Thermodynamics (I nearly failed the first test).
I also know what competition feels like -- I'm telling the
truth about the 50%-fail rule for my Freshman
physics and Sophomore mechanics.
What saved me:
1) Seeking help from TAs in Thermo -- I met with
my TA *every* week and discussed all the homework.
2) Correlating homework, lecture and reading
from the book. Try to recreate lecture notes -- it takes time,
but at the end,
it's almost as if you wrote your own book.
3) Doing small examples -- whether it's Thermo,
Mechnics, or CS100, doing a barrage of small examples will
help you become familiar
with the rudiments and tear down some psychological blocks. If you can
understand
these smaller chunks,
the bigger chunks will come. How? Think of HW4 -- there you need to instantiate
2
objects, gather input,
convert strings to characters, iterate, sum, etc. Each of these involves
smaller chunks
that you can practice
and learn individually.
4) Internalizing competition -- here's something
I still struggle with -- as much as we might want to "beat"
everyone else, what
really, really, really counts is what each of us learns and how each of
us acts. Remember:
THERE'S
ALWAYS SOMEONE SMARTER/BETTER THAN YOU.
Sooner or later, external competition will make you nuts.
In the end, what's
important is whether you *learned* the material. Too many times I paid
a price for going for
the grade
and not the skills/knowledge.
I don't know why some people can learn things
in a moment, while others have to bang their heads against a wall.
I like to think that perserverance can overcome
whatever is blocking a person. I have all kinds of stories -- how I
spent 5 years struggling to play the drums before
I "got it" -- or a friend who failed Calculus something like 5 times
and ended up being a rather good structural engineer....
So, if you're having trouble, it means more work
on your part, I know... you have to decide if you want "it" badly
enough and up the ante, so to speak -- somewhere
you have to find the time and energy -- if you do, I think you
will be satisfied when the material starts clicking....it's
amazing what a little brute force can do.....
Please be aware -- there's a lot of disagreement concerning my pace
and coverage...about 1/3 so far think I'm too slow.
About 1/3 say too fast and 1/3 figure about right. Soooo.......I'll
see what I can do. I really, really need to target those who've never
programmed before. (I should have asked about that on the eval form
to get a better correlation!)
So, the more people who submit forms, the better idea I'll have. You can bring them to Section or Lecture.
I may ask a few students to come talk to me -- there's some ideas about
posting examples in class and on-line, but I'm
not sure how to improve my postings. One solution might be CodeWarrior
-- using the debugger to set breakpoints -- I
haven't disccused that at all, so maybe that would help.
I'll post more when I get more eval forms in. I have some ideas based
on what everyone wrote, so I'll post them, and see what
you think. yes, you *can* affect your own class! CS100B rules. B, B,
B! :-)
Prelim 2 solutions:
I'm posting them in tonight.
HW4:
I made a few cosmetic changes, but the online version is still valid.
It's been up since Thursday night.
I hope you got started already -- please don't wait until the last
minute.
In the interest of saving you the printing cost, I'm having hardcopies
made. I'll distribute them in
lecture on Tues. All leftover copies will be in Carpenter after my
11:15 lecture.
BTW, the average was about 87. Did anyone know the title of my PhD Dissertation?
Yes, it was in HW3
as one of the references :-)
I'll have printed copies made by Monday -- they will be available in Carpenter.
Interval Analysis and Complex Numbers:
How could I resist? I just caught news of a group working on both IA
and complex numbers. Since you just did both,
maybe you would be curious to check out the following abstract:
http://www.acm.org/pubs/citations/journals/toms/1999-25-2/p129-flores/
Variables and static methods: I was correct about test3 inside
Static_meth2.java
today. I double
checked my output. main could not access test3 because test3 was not
declared static. Don't believe
me? Try it out.
Advice: On a related note, a lot of students have asked me "what
if I do this?" kinds of questions.
I STRONGLY encourage you to go ahead and try. That's how I learned
to program after all was said
and done all these years. By sitting down and trying simple, smaller
tasks I would to tear apart each line
of code. When I found what what worked, I would go back and try to
understand why.
Granted, this takes time...if you can budget maybe an hour here and
there, you will be amazed at how quickly
you become a skilled programmer. Remember that: programming is a skill,
and like any skill, it takes practice.
New example: Check out the Programs
link. I posted a small exmaple in response to
the many questions on how to return an Interval object from a method.
I demonstrate
a variety of approaches.
Sample Prelim 2: Online! Look here.
Read 10/13: Read everything below in 10/13.
Locations for Prelim2: look here.
HW4: The due date on HW4 (and 5 and 6) has changed to Nov 4.
I will post it early next week.
Stay alert for announcements. HW4 explores aspects of computational
biology using arrays.
Isn't CS100B a blast? First, sheet piles. Then, uncertainty analysis.
Now, genomics. Just what will
we think of next? :-) Aren't you glad you chose "B"? B! B! B! ;-)
Review Session for Prelim 2: Olin 155, 7-9PM, Sun 10/17. (See your course guide and exams link.)
Prelim 2: You do realize there's Prelim 2 on Tues 10/19? Have a conflict? Please contact Laurie Buck.
Format.java: As I posted in 10/8, Format.java has a bug
(I checked with previous CS100 profs...guess what? It was
my HW3 that "caught" the bug that had been lurking there...aren't we
lucky? ;-) Anyway, read 10/8 for the news.
I did post a corrected version of Format.java if you would like to
try the "good" version.
Extra office hours: I'll be available 1:30-3:50 PM on Weds 10/13.
I'll also have extra hours on Mon 10/18.
Don't forget that Mike Singer has open hours 1-2 PM on Weds, too. Look
here
for details.
Even more office hours: Raju's "appt" hours are swtiched to "walk in" for just tomorrow 10/13. Look here for details.
More examples: keeping checking the Programs link for new additions.
Missing Disk? Did you lose a disk in Carpenter? A fellow student
brought it to me. Since I'll be out later today,
I left it with my assistant Karla (bet you didn't know I had an assistant
;-) in 5147 Upson.
Office Hours today (Fri): Sorry -- I need to cancel them. I'll
make up the office hours before Prelim 2 when
students will likely need them the most. I'll be in my office after
my normal office hours this coming Weds for those
who need last minute help on HW3.
Consulting during Fall break: No consulting Sat-Tues, but some consultants might be available Tues night.
Extra Help: Raju and Debra have informed me they will be available during Fall break.
HW3 and Format.java: a couple of students have pointed out a
bug in Format.java...I'm looking into it. Need a quick
review of Format.java (discussed in Sections)? Look here.
(see test_format.java)
OK -- I looked into it (well, I passed it along to be looked at ;-).
Big thanks to Chris Hescock, a fellow
student of yours who caught the buggy. I don't think it will affect
everybody, but if you find that Format.java is
hurting your solutions, then skip using it.
Significant figures: Please note that, sure enough, a typo emerged.
I ask students in Section 5.3 to produces at least 2
significant figures. Think about that for a moment :-) I meant to say
no more than 2 sig figs. If you already chose more than
2 sig figs, don't worry about it (I'll inform the graders).
Please reread 10/6. I made some changes.
I'm getting in the habit of posting my examples
now. I just added another example.
Rather than informing you every time I post something,
figure that I'll post an example or
two each time we have a lecture. It's guaranteed,
just likely. Remember that they're posted
here.
Lecture for 10/7:
Some students have asked for more in-class examples
(on classes, forgive the pun ;-)
Look here for postings.
Note that I updated Example.java *today* (included info on aliases
after discussing it with a student in office
hours. He got to see me program on the spot :-)
Chap4.java is that example I pass out last week
that I *just* started on Tues and will
finish tomorrow. This example is my attempt at
clarifying the example on page 137.
Seed code for HW3
I've been thinking this over. Rather posting on
the web, I would rather have the students seek help
when they get stuck, lest I give away too much
and end up not doing anyone a favor (you know,
"hampering your learning").
However, I won't leave you stranded. keep an eye
on the newsgroup:
If there's a big enough demand, we'll post something
there and probably on the website.
OK -- I just posted some code. I hope students are reading this day's announcements over again.
Syllabus
My syllabus needs updating. Read the message dated 10/6/99 here.
HW3: I brought hardcopies to class and dropped off the remainders at Carpenter.
Prelim: Missing your prelim? All unknowns/unmarked/uncollected
tests will be distributed at
Carpenter on Firday afternoon. You should wait until trying Carpenter
before visiting
303 Upson.
Regrades: Please review your course guide for the regrading procedure.
Examples in class: I'll be posting them here in a few minutes.
Announcements: I have a feeling that some students missed some
things I announced in
lecture. Though I try, please be aware that not everything I say in
lecture shows up here.
Mike's Office Hours: Actually, the hours are the same. But
Mike's
room changed! It's now 476 Rhodes Hall.
Homework3 -- you should be using the version that's online as I announced
in lecture last week.
(I guess not everyone's attending lecture....) The hardcopies were
delayed, but that shouldn't stop
you from working on it. The hardcopies will be ready tomorrow or early
Weds.
Prelim solutions -- A few people asked me. I posted them on 10/1. Look
below.
Can't find your ID/Student Code on the Prelim grade posting? Laurie
Buck posted a message
about what to do. I'll repeat it here:
Prelim Solutions: Now posted here.
PRELIM GRADES: I made a "slight" blunder. Do not go to Upson!
Go to Carpenter Hall for grade postings. Sorry about that.
Lost Glasses:
Did someone lose their glasses? I have glasses in my office.
9/30:
Posting of Prelim 1 Grades:
I just posted programming assignment 3 here.
Please note: the print copies aren't ready yet. Also, there's likely
some typos I missed, or
perhaps the instructions are unclear. Whatever you think is vague please
let me know. I'm
having a bunch of TAs proofread for me. If I make any changes I'll
let you know.
For now, you should read though the assignment and try to grasp what's
going on. There's a lot
of material, I know. But, when all was said and done with HW2, that
thing would have hit *20* pages,
including the lecture material, maybe more!
Also, I think I might have to provide some "seed" code to get you started.
But, before doing so, I want you
to start on your own.
Note the new due date!
Please spread the word!
ALL GRADED PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS (2)
ARE AT CARPENTER RIGHT NOW!
9/26: Sample Prelim solutions
Hello all -- I just posted the sample prelim 1 solutions. Sorry about
the typos in the sample.
Unlike the sample, I had the TAs proofread your real test. The problems
and weaknesses of
the sample are already fixed in the real test. For instance, I tell
you there are 10 errors in
some sample code, rather than leaving you to guess how many mistakes
there are.
I fixed the errors in my solutions, so you might want to stick to that
version. Click here for
the solutions.
On Sunday, you need to enter Olin from the PLAZA side -- the doors are
locked. I just got the
combination and key to the building, so now we can all get inside.
9/23 IMPORTANT STUFF
Last Name Location
A-H
Olin 255
I-N
Hollister B14
O-Z
Olin 155
One student asked about previous exams in CS100.
I figure I might as well save you some digging around. Check out the
following links:
http://www.cs.cornell.edu/cucs/courses_degreeprogs/archive.htm
http://www.cs.cornell.edu/cucs/courses_degreeprogs/courses.htm
Some of the webpage pages are in disarray, but if you dig around, you're
bound to find older exams.
Slight tip -- remember that I'm new to Cornell, so my tests might look
a bit different. That's why I
created a sample prelim.
9/22: Sample Prelim
I just finished the sample Prelim 1. I'll have photocopies made
for the "main" problems.
Look here for the full version. I'll review
the solutions during the review session.
PLEASE NOTE: The sample prelim is a "bit" harder than the actual exam,
so please don't
get scared. I figure that better you should have more practice than
have a wimpy sample.
9/22: Interested in majoring CS? You should attend the following:
"Changes in Computer Science: Real and Imagined."
Hosted by Professor Charles Van Loan, the Chair of the Department of
Computer Science and Director of
Undergraduate Programs, Computer Science.
The University is in the middle of a reorganization of the Computing
and
Information Sciences at Cornell. Professor Van Loan will
summarize the
current situation in 15 minutes and tell what it means from the
undergraduate point-of-view. The rest of the session will have a Q&A
format.
Prof. Van Loan invites you to visit "Message from the Chair" at
http://www.cs.cornell.edu/chair/
for some background information on this
reorganization.
Open to all undergraduates.
Tuesday
September 28, 1999
4:30 pm.
Olin 155.
9/21: Test and homework info below. I have more accurate info on PRELIM 1 nowL
PRELIM 1:
See also here.
I'll post that "soon". (Right now, I don't have it written.) I'll make
an announcement in class when it's
ready.
In need of help?
*************
Are you feeling stuck or frustrated? I think
some of the newly initiated programmers might be
a bit intimidated still. I strongly encourage
anyone who's stuck to speak to me, the TAs, or consultants
ASAP. When I was a student (which, BTW,
was a total of 1.5 months ago :-) I was scared of talking with the
professor. Only a a few times did I ever seek
help -- and those times were very fruitful. Of course, coming to
office hours only helps if you've taken some
time to sort out what you don't understand. Anyone feeling
completely lost might be better served by arranging
for tutoring through 303 Upson. But, no matter where you
stand, please take advantage of the help that's
available.
Please Remember:
***************
Also, I haven't talked about this much since
the beginning of the semester...for the more experienced students in
class, please remember that CS100 is aimed towards
those who've never programmed before. If anyone feels
I'm
going too fast, please let me know. The more
experienced students have a tendency to be a bit...errr..."noiser" (for
lack of a better term ;-). I know this sounds
a bit corny, but let your voice be heard! :-)
For those who are more experienced, I don't want
to stifle you, either -- on every homework, if you want to be
"fancier" we will NOT dock
you points for "extra" code (this issue came up a lot for HW2). In future
semesters I
might consider assigning bonus work, but for
now, thank you for being patient!
In need of partners?
****************
I've noticed that a lot students don't have partners
-- perhaps some of the more experienced students might want to
post on the newsgroup their availablity for partners?
If you do partner with a less experienced programmer, you gain
the advantage of being a teacher -- the best
way to learn something is to teach it. For the less experienced student,
you do run the risk of having a partner do the
work for you, but if you insist on doing your portion, you will gain an
"on-site" teacher.
Another idea: Students in need of a partner should
consider simply posting a message on the newsgroup. In email, you
could then discuss your experience level and
then decide if you are suitable for eachother :-) (I know, it sounds a
little
like a dating service.) If you feel too embarrassed,
let your Section instructor know and perhaps the instructors can play
a matchmaker role... no guarantee we can make
the match for you, of course.
I'll also try an experiment in next week's lecture...so those without partners (and want one) make sure you attend class.
All Engineering students are invited to attend an Alumni Career Paths
Panel
Discussion, next Friday, September 24 at 4:30 in Phillips 101. This
event
is hosted by the Cornell Society of Engineers. Pizza and more
discussion
will follow in the Phillips Lounge.
Four alumni with different backgrounds will share their individual
experiences and help answer students' questions such as:
"What is working as an engineer really like?"
"What choices will I have to make as my career develops?"
"How are big companies different from small companies?"
"What about being an entrepreneur?" and more.....
9/18 (cont): A CS100B student asked me to post this -- I haven't
checked the veracity of his
claims,
but you might want to check out the following info/links if you're looking
for
"free" CodeWarrior or JBuilder. As usual, I recommend using "standard"
CodeWarrior
for your classwork, but if you're curious about alternatives, check this
out:
First off, Metrowerks distributes a Codewarrior Lite software through
their
website that is a restricted version of Codewarrior. This would
prove
useful for editing code at a personal dorm-room computer. However,
you may
not create new applications with this restricted version. Codewarrior
Lite is available for both Macintosh and IBM Compatible computer, free
of
charge. (It is not compatible with Windows 98.) Visit:
http://www.metrowerks.com/lite/dl.stm
Secondly, Borland freely distributes, for educational users, a "University
Edition" of its JBuilder software. I am currently running this
software on
my machine, and it hasn't given me any trouble yet. Some of the
added
conveniences of the Codewarrior software are not present in JBuilder,
but
it is nonetheless a fine costless alternative. (And it is compatible
with
Windows 98!) The JBuilder "University Edition" can be obtained
from anyone
in the ABEN courses, as it comes bundled with their textbook.
(Perhaps it
may also be downloaded from their site?)
Visit: http://www.borland.com/education/jbuilder/jbue.html
I hope you find this information interesting. Enjoy!
-=Dave Johnson=-
Class of '03
djj9@cornell.edu
Please
note: I will not be at Sections on Monday (out for Yom Kippur, 9/20) --
the TAs will be covering both of my sections.
They will cover remaining HW2 questions and cover some material glossed
over in lecture
(nested loops and maybe a bit of formatted output.)
If
you are getting behind, I STRONGLY encourage you to seek help from consultants,
TAs, myself or tutors
(refer
to here for office hours -- see also your course
guide.)
9/16: More about Newton: turns out I had a
couple typos that were made, uh..."apparent" in morning lecture.
The corrected versions are now online.
Photocopying of the old version was thankfully delayed -- the new version
is being copied --
I'll drop them off in Carpenter.
Grading
and Style and HW2:
I've been getting a lot of questions concerning grading. Here's what I'm
looking for -- clear, concise code. Bear in
mind this question: Would you or anyone else be able to understand the
program 1 week from now? 3 weeks from
now? 3 months from now?
Basically, here's the scoop:
Students having trouble really should come to see me or any of the TAs, consultants, tutors....
I
know this has nothing to do with CS100B, but check this out. Yesterday
I got a call from a survey agency. The phone rep asked about my
"SATIS-FI-CATION" with my cable service. Yep -- that's how the rep
pronounced it --
She explained it was written that way on her list of questions.
I thought about this for awhile, afterwards.
Anyone
uses the pretend-word "SATISFICATION," which is, of course,
"unsatisficatory," in their documentmentation will get a zero ;-)
So,
I'm working out a longer review with a lot of background that should fill
in any missing gaps. Actually, I'm
getting
really carried away with it, so it's probably more than you need. I do
recommend that anyone who
feels
rusty on their math should thoroughly review this document.
I should
have it posted about noon on Weds.
9/13:
Drat! I made some typos in HW2 that someone brought to my attention:
Section 3.3, Step 5 has some typos. Please use the following text:
5. Compute the products f_mid*f_left and f_mid*f_right.
HW2 worries/concerns/fright etc: I was chatting with some students
about the assignment.
*If* you get nervous, before panicking, please read through the entire
assignment. The
quations may look daunting, but all you have to do is make a bunch of variable
declarations.
There is some math involved, but the math will make sure you understand
operator precedence
and variable declarations.
Bear in mind, also, that there's only 1 "real" homework before prelim 1,
so I needed to make
something long enough for you to test/develop/practice your programming
skills.
Another thought: Why give such a problem? At an "upper" level course, you're
typically just given a
problem/equation/system and asked, "So, what's the answer?" It would be
up to you to figure out the
correct solution, method, implementation, and, sometimes, even the data!
(I had that happen on a
Foundation Engineering test once: the professor expected us to choose "reasonable"
values for constants.
Just imagine taking a test where you weren't given *anything* but a vague
problem and no data!)
So, how can you develop this skill? On HW2, I've given an "upper level"
question, but filled in most of
the method for you. By practicing this problem, you will develop skills
for these upper level classes. You
need to:
1) Skim the homework.
2) Look for the portions on what you need to do.
3) Read the whole thing again. And again. And then, again.
4) Start filling in bits and pieces from what you know
I'll be posting more about this problem after
sections today, so keep plugging away.
I'll
be posting some more section info/questions/answers/sample code today.
All sections will go over Week 2 (if they haven't already) and Week
3 info.
IF
YOU *JUST* JOINED CS100B, please talk to Professor Schwartz (namely, me).
Basically, I still want you to do programming assignment 1,
but
the grading will be different. I'll discuss in class on Thursday.
A fellow
student (Neil McQuarrie) graciously wrote up a guide for using J++: look
here. While CS100B doesn't
officially endorse using alternative software, you're welcome to try
an alternative.
Please
do not ask consultants/TAs/instructors for any assistance on J++.
9/1: (not mandatory) In Java news today: check
this
out. (Look for a brief mention of Interval Arithmetic, the topic
of my Ph.D.)
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