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CSC104 SLOG Week 9

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What advice would you give to a student beginning this course about (a) how to design a function, and (b) how to prepare for this course? My advice to a student beginning this course about how to design a function is to first describe what the function will do.  This can be achieved by writing a function contract, for example function-name: number -> number.  In addition, writing a full-design check-expect is helpful because we can start with our output value, and work backwards to recreate that output.  We can then substitute check-expect with define and each variable with a parameter.  Depending on what the function is intended to do, it may be necessary to think about special cases and recursion.  To illustrate, in the Fibonacci sequence, the first and second terms are both 1.  Therefore, when a defining a function to compute the Fibonacci sequence, we will need to include the special case of n < 2 in our function design.  Likewise, we can use the power of recursion to call
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CSC104 SLOG Week 8

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What's something new you learned this week in class? In class, we explored binary notation.  In particular, we learned how to express numbers in binary and add and multiply binary terms.  This is a topic that I have been interested in learning more about since the beginning of the course. What was one of your achievements this week? One of my achievements this week was completing Project 2.  I found this project very interesting and was pleased to see that I was able to apply some of the course material.  Overall, my group members and I understood the requirements and we were able to work through the project fairly quickly.  However, upon testing our functions, one test occasionally kept failing.  To get help, I visited the discussion board on Piazza, and discovered that there was an error in the original check-expect provided in the project.  The instructor posted the correct check-expect, and from that we were able to pass all of the tests. 
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CSC104 SLOG Week 7

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What's something new you learned this week in class? In class, we explored some of the limits of computation.  In particular, we discussed the Fibonacci sequence and designed a function to compute the result for each term number in the sequence.  However, as we approach large term numbers, the computation takes an exorbitant amount of time.  For example, to calculate the 100 th term in the Fibonacci sequence, it would take approximately 18 billion years. What's something that challenged you this week? This week, the limits of computation related to the Fibonacci sequence was an interesting yet challenging topic for me to comprehend.  To get a better understanding, I watched the lecture recording and reviewed my lecture notes.  I now feel more confident with my understanding of this topic.
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CSC104 SLOG Week 6

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What's something you enjoyed this week in class? In class, we learned how to animate an image using the function big-bang.  I found this topic very interesting and enjoyed experimenting with different images and functions (to update the image). How did your test go this week? On Friday, I wrote my second term test for CSC104.  To prepare for the test, I reviewed my lecture notes and attempted the prior year term tests.  I was confident with my understanding of the course material, and I believe that I was well-prepared.  I finished writing the test with plenty of time to spare, so I was able to confirm all of my answers.  I feel confident in my performance, and I look forward to receiving my results.
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CSC104 SLOG Week 5

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What's something new you learned this week in class? In class, we learned how to design a function using a local definition.  This allows us to filter a list using different variables.  Moreover, we learned how to work with colors and began to use image->colors and colors->image, to modify images.  What was one of your achievements this week? One of my achievements this week was completing Project 1.  I decided to work alone on this assignment, and I was pleased to see that I was able to apply some of the course material.  Overall, I understood the requirements and was able to work through the project fairly quickly.  However, upon testing my functions, one test kept failing.  To get help, I visited the CS Help Center and one of the TA’s helped me identify the source of my error.  From that point, I was able to correct my function design and complete the assignment.   
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CSC104 SLOG Week 4

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How are you preparing for the quizzes/tests? To prepare for the quizzes/tests, I review the lecture notes after every class and I complete the weekly exercises that are posted.  I will continue to do this throughout the semester, because I am satisfied with my performance on the quizzes/tests so far. Are there any images you've made, or even functions to create images, that you enjoyed or are proud of? I enjoyed designing the stack function and the resulting Sierpinski Triangle.  The function integrated a number of different topics such as, function design, conditional expressions and recursion.  The Sierpinski Triangle looks very intricate, and I am proud that I am able to recreate such an image on my own. Are there things you initially found hard or intimidating, but now understand? How did you get to that point? Prior to term test one, I did not fully understand the check-expect questions on the prior year term tests.  Because there were no solutions, I wasn't su
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CSC104 SLOG Week 3

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What's something new you learned this week in class? In class, we learned about the Sierpinski Triangle and how to document and design a function to produce a stack of images.  We also learned how to apply operations on lists nested within lists, including a new function called filter. What's something you enjoyed this week in class? I enjoyed designing the stack function because it integrated a number of different topics that we have covered so far (function design, conditional expressions, Boolean's and images).  Building the Sierpinski Triangle, also allowed us to see the power of recursion. How did your quiz go this week? I believe that I did well on the quiz this week.  The questions were very similar to the exercise, which I had completed in preparation for the quiz.  Going forward, I will continue to review my lecture notes and complete the weekly exercises, because I am satisfied with my performance on the quizzes so far.
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