Session 3 Preparation — Videos, Reading and Quizzes

Quizzes:

Do this Quiz on Session 3 as you watch the videos and do the reading (as listed below). This document is a Microsoft Word document; here is the same Quiz on Session 3 (pdf) as a PDF.

You can either:

• Print it (two-sided is greenest) and fill it in by hand, or
• Download it, fill it in electronically, and then print it (two-sided is greenest).

Videos and Reading (online and textbook):

All of the following are required except the items labeled Optional are, well, optional (i.e., things that may be interesting but do not directly pertain to your success in this course).

1. Objects and Classes – Using Objects
   • Read this explanation of Objects, Types, Values and Classes (and especially Using Objects)
     • Read this important explanation carefully!
     • BRING your QUESTIONS about it to class.
2. Counted Loops (using FOR loops with RANGE expressions)
   • Read this explanation of Counted Loops (using FOR statements and RANGE expressions)
     • Read this important explanation carefully!
     • Study the examples in it.
     • BRING your QUESTIONS about it to class.
3. Problem Solving — Algorithm Design
   • Textbook reading: Section 1.7 (7 pages).
     • Focus your attention on:
       • What is pseudocode and why is it helpful?
       • What is an algorithm?
       • Figure 8 (which gives a very simple version of how to develop software)
     • All 3 of the above are nicely described in the portion of the reading from the middle of page 17 (definition of pseudocode) to bottom of page 18 (Figure 8).
4. Problem Solving — First Do It By Hand
   • Textbook reading: Section 2.3 (3 pages)
   • Note: This was assigned in your preparation for Session 2; if you did not read it then, be sure to read it now.
5. Strings
   • Textbook reading: Section 2.4 (6 pages)
   • Pay special attention to section 2.4.5. It provides examples of using objects, per the above reading.
6. Input and Output
   • Textbook reading: Section 2.5.1 — User Input, and Section 2.5.2 — Numerical Input (2 pages total).
     • Focus your attention on:
       • How the input function works. What does it do with its string argument? The fact that it returns a string.
       • How to use int and float to convert the string returned by input into a number (that you can use for arithmetic, for example).
7. Formatted Output
   • Optional textbook reading: Section 2.5.3 (4 pages)
   • This section shows how to format output from print (so that it lines up in columns, etc.). You can safely skip this section for now, returning to it if you need it later in the course.
8. Writing Simple Programs — Pseudocode
   • Optional textbook reading: How To 2.1 and its follow-up Worked Example 2.2 (pages 60 to 64, 5 pages)
   • These sections reinforce the advice in First Do It By (Section 2.3) and Algorithm Design (Section 1.7), that you have read (first two readings listed above). These sections extend and apply that advice in a worked example.