CSC104 SLOG Week 1

Why did you choose CSC104? What do you hope to get out of the course?
In an economics course last year, I was introduced to some basic Excel VBA knowledge.  Based on that limited experience, I developed an interest in writing programs so I enrolled in CSC104 to learn more about programming.  In this course, I hope to develop my problem-solving skills and learn some of the important principles of writing programs.  In addition, I have read that Racket is a much simpler, more consistent language to learn compared to other programming languages.  Therefore, I can focus on developing long-lasting skills and habits to support my academic and professional career.

What did you expect programming to be like, and how does it compare with your experience in the course so far? (If you programmed before, how is programming in this course similar, and how is it different?)

I expected programming to be like writing instructions for a computer to perform.  This involves planning, testing, and debugging code, which are a set of written instructions that a computer can understand.  So far, this course has been consistent with my expectations.  For example, we learned how to define a function, so that when we run the program with specific values, the program produces the right answer for those values.  If we run it again with different values, the program will produce the right answer for the new values instead.  In addition, we learned how to use check-expect to test our functions and we studied common error messages to learn how to fix our code.

What do you find interesting so far?

The most interesting topic we’ve covered so far, has been function definitions and design.  I find it fascinating how we can teach the computer to complete a repetitive task, in order to avoid typing out the same expression over and over again.  We have learned how to define a general function with parameters, and substitute those parameters with variables.  The computer then produces the right answer for those variables.

What do you find hard so far? Is the course easier or harder than you expected?

The most difficult thing so far, has been trying to predict the result of an expression that is comprised of a number of different functions and values.  Working from left to right and solving the inner expressions first, has worked well for me.  In addition, the step and step parallel functions have helped me understand which functions were being evaluated first.  This course has been easier than I expected because I consistently review the lecture notes and complete the weekly exercises.

How did you study for the quizzes? Are you satisfied with your performance on them; if not, what do you plan to change?

To prepare for the quizzes, 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 so far.

Are there any specific Computer Science topics you're interested in?

Binary is a computer science topic that has always interested me.  I would like to learn more about the combination of zeroes and ones and what they represent.  In particular, why is binary such an important topic in computer science?  I am also interested in learning more about the different types of algorithms, including what they are used for and how they are designed.