CSI201 Introduction to Computer Science (Honors Section) Fall 2010 Class Home Page

Honors CSI201 Fall 2010 Syllabus

Course staff and meeting information

What's New:

• Java Innards Lecture Material: How a while loop is compiled into Java Virtual Machine Code.
• The regular lab time has been extended to provide more time for students who want to come early and to accommodate scheduling conflict. I'll be there from 2:00PM to 4:00PM, Tuesday afternoons, LI-84. Also, lab homework assignments will be given. You are expected to do them sometime in that lab during the following week. It is generally open M-F, from 10:00AM to 5:00PM.
• Lab One Homework to make the robot dance is DUE Tuesday, 3:00PM when the lab begins. See Meeting 10.
• Homework 4 PROGRAMS are also due Sept 27: Programming challenges 4, 8 and 12 of Chapter 2.
• Availability of the Lejos/Java system in LI-84 for your use to be announced by email within 48 hrs.
• Homework 4 (written answers to all the remaining checkpoints of Ch 2) will count and for credit, it must be in by Monday, Sept. 27.

Class Meetings

• Meeting 01 (in the afternoon, 8/30)
  • Homework (HW1) Due next class: Read the 1st two sections of Chapter 2 of Gaddis & Muganda. Answer on paper all the "Checkpoint" questions for those two chapters. Read the next 4 pages about variables in section 2.3.
• Meeting 02 (Wednesday 9/1)
  • Quiz.
  • Class poll/discussion what is a variable in algebra (mathematics) or in programming.
    • Note: A variable is a place, not a placeholder.
  • Homework (HW1): Bring in answers to previous hw if you haven't done that. Also, do the reading about variables and write the answers to the first two checkpoints of Section 2.3.
• Meeting 03 (Friday 9/3)
  • Talk about "jargon" "Roll", "Pitch" and "Yaw" are technical terms used by airplane pilots. "Variable" and "Code" are technical terms in our subject.
  • Writing and running a Java program to do a Mad-Lib.
    • Concentration on the difference between the middle line and the two lines above and below:

      System.out.print("The ");

      System.out.print(adjective1);

      System.out.print(" ");

  • Viewing and changing the values of variables by writing on boxes drawn on plastic sheets.
    • A glimpse at binary.
• Meeting 04 (Wed 9/8)
  • Finding a new lab time: Wed. 3:00PM-4:00PM REGISTER using class number 17710.
  • 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ... is the famous Fibonacci sequence. Recall the rule to compute the next number adding the previous two numbers. Three variables can be used to apply the rule: newF for the next Fibonacci number, pF for the previous Fibonacci number, ppF for the previous previous Fibonacci number. Express that rule by an assignment statement in Java: newF = ppF + pF; After this assignment statement commands the computer to compute the next Fibonacci number and store it in newF, the next two statements will change the values so newF = ppF + pF; will make the computer compute the next one after that. Here are the next two statements:

    ppF = pF;

    pF = newF;

  • Homework (HW2) Due Monday, 9/13:
    • (Mad Libs on Blackboard) Create your own Mad-Libs Java program and email its source (.java) file to me.
      1. It must be funny (but suitable for public reading.)
      2. In addition to using at least two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives and two adverbs, it must use some integer numbers and some double (floating point) numbers, and do a calculations with the numbers. For example, an integer number can be the number of shirts, etc., you buy at a shopping mall and an integer number can be the price of one shirt. Use java to make the Mad-Lib calculate and include in the story the total price.
    • (HW2 on Blackboard) As started in class, draw ON PAPER 3 boxes named by ppF, pF and newF. Put 1 in the ppF box and 1 in the pF box and leave the newF box empty. Write step-by-step the changes in what's written in the boxes when the following group of 3 statements is executed repeatedly, 10 times:

      newF = ppF + pF;

      ppF = pF;

      pF = newF;

      Do this on paper and bring the paper into class.

• Meeting 05 (Mon 9/13)
  1. "Dreams" of what your want a program to do; what it actually does.
  2. The idea of the Fibonacci sequence; to be "infinite" means that however long a sequence you have, you can calculate and append the next number.
  3. The blackboard as a prosthetic for the brain.
  4. The frames of a graphic novel or comic book express the SAME things at DIFFERENT moments in TIME.
  5. Fibonacci calculations on paper in class: FibberOne, FINISH FOR HOMEWORK (HW3)!
  6. Calculation FibberThree, DO FOR HOMEWORK (HW3) (5 pairs of assignment statements, 10 frames in all after the first.)
  7. Another surprise! FibberTwo
• Meeting 06 (Wed 9/15)
• Meeting 07 (Friday 9/17) HW4 assigned due 9/22
• Meeting 08 (Monday 9/20)
• Lab Meeting-First Real One 01 (Tuesday 9/21) Objects like Strings, "bears", Pictures are big, heavy things. Opjective of lejos use is to learn Java programming including objects. Building the lejos software; demo of lejos' HelloWorld
• Meeting 09 (Wednesday 9/22) (Talk about integer variables as the same as reference variables to Strings, Pictures. Talk and demo of Extreme Programming or Agile Development Processes. Demo of getting a new HelloWorld and a MotorDemo to work. Look at the program code to predict what the program will do! Shell script. Use of octal numerals and their binary values to specify protection modes for Unix files (-rwxr-x-r-x is coded by 755, etc). MotorDemo1 developed from HelloWorld by adding new things line by line. Lecture: Questions stemming from the checkpoints: (1) Unicode (it's what Java has for its char type) (2) Why the sum of two shorts is an int, not a short; quick demo of overflow and Java's rule that the sum of two shorts is an int.
• Meeting 10 (Friday 9/24) First real lab homework due Tues, 3:00PM, Sept 28.
• Meeting 11 (Monday 9/27) Final for-credit due date for HW4 and Ch2Progs: Write answers to remaining checkpoints in Chapter 2. Also, programming challenges 4, 8, and 12 are due as complete, compileable and correct Java programs.
• Lab Meeting 02 (Tuesday, 9/28, in LI-84, 3:00PM-4:00PM)
• Meeting 12 (Wednesday, 9/29)
• Meeting 13 (Friday, 10/1)
• Meeting 14 (Monday, 10/4)
• Lab Meeting 03 (Tuesday, 10/5, in LI-84, 3:00-4:00PM)
• Meeting 15 (Wednesday, 10/6) Review for Exam: Tracing of assignments and while loops. Began survey of Ch. 3 and 4.
• Midterm Exam, Friday, October 8, in class
• Meeting 16 (Monday, 10/11) Programming Homework for Chapter 4 due on Friday!--see notes
• Lab Meeting 04 (Tuesday, 10/12)
• Meeting 17 (Wednesday, 10/13) Question about the FileWriter versus PrintWriter lead to lecture about files in general, using them with these library classes, and the logic of the FileReadDemo. Homework for next class: Write the narrative of what happens, inside as well as outside, when the FileWriteDemo runs.
• Meeting 18 (Friday, 10/14)
• Meeting 19 (Monday, 10/18)
• Lab Meeting 04 - Breakout Robot dance into methods; students messed around with an EventListener!
• Meeting 20 (Wednesday, 10/20) Walk through a simple program with a method call and a for-loop with Eclipse: HOMEWORK: DO and TURNIN one Programming Challenge problem from Chapter 5 on Methods.
• Meeting 21 (Friday, 10/22) Code Reviews of Homework!

  Wikipedia

  UA Library - Electronic Databases - Guide To Computing Literature - Code Review Search - Meyer's 2008 article

• Meeting 22 (Oct 25) Methods
• Lab meeting (Oct 26): Intro to Swing and demonstration of an ActionListener
• Meeting 23 (Oct 27) Classes (HOMEWORK ASSIGNED, due next class and next week)
• Meeting 24 (Oct 29)
• Meeting 25 (Nov 1)
• Lab meeting (Nov 2) Blocking and non-blocking robot moving and touch sensor reading commands in a loop.
• Meeting 26 (Nov 3) Talk about threads and races. Code review of a credit card solution.
• Meeting 27 (Nov 5) demo.java
• Meeting 28 (M, Nov 8) copier.java HOMEWORK!!
• Lab meeting (T, Nov 9)
• Meeting 29 (W, Nov 10)
• Meeting 30 (F, Nov 12)
• Meeting 31 (M, Nov 15) Homework: Guzdial/Ericson Ch5: Problems 5.3, 5.4, 5.19 and something crazy you invent.
• Lab meeting (T, Nov 16)
• Meeting 32 (W, Nov 17) HW due Friday: Add to the ScoreCard class a method to find the runner up's score; and test it.
• Meeting 33 (F, Nov 19)
• Meeting 34 (M, Nov 22) HOMEWORK: Finish up and test the countDownUpFrom demo begun in class.
• Turkey, etc. Eating (Nov 25)
• Meeting 35 (M, Nov 29)
• Lab Meeting (T, Nov 30)
• Meeting 36 (W, Dec 1)
• Meeting 37 (F, Dec 3)
• Meeting 38 FINAL HOWEWORK ASSIGNED (M, Dec 6)
• Meeting 39 (W, Dec 8) Last day of classes
• Reading Day (Dec 9)
• Final Exam Friday, Dec 10, 3:30PM-5:30PM in the regular room BUS-209.