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Week 1: course overview; intro to CS
The computer labs on the 3rd floor of the CMC
are set up with Python for your use throughout the term. If you'd
like to work elsewhere, you are welcome to install Python on your own
computer. Using your own machine is perfectly welcome, but making it
all work properly is entirely up to you. Instructions should be
available shortly on the CS Department homepage, or you can go to python.org/download. We're
using Python 2. (You should download the latest version of Python
2.x.x.)
- 13 September 2011 (T): intro to CS and CS 111.
Reading: Zelle, §1.1–1.5PS1 (logistics + finding frequent words) was handed out today. (A copy is posted in Moodle.) It's due on Thursday.Unix Tutorial: Go to CMC 304 or 306. The machines in those rooms all boot into both Windows and MacOS; you'll need MacOS. (If you don't see a Mac login screen, you'll need to reboot into the Mac side.) Log in, using your Carleton user name and password. Now go to the following tutorial, which was originally written by Michael Stonebank of the University of Surrey, and modified by Jeff Ondich to match the Carleton setup. Work through Typographical Conventions, Introduction to the UNIX Operating System, and Tutorials 1-4 of this Unix tutorial. There's nothing to hand in, but please post questions/comments on the Moodle site or bring questions to class.
- 15 September 2011 (R):
algorithms, office hours, addition, pair programming, and getting started in the lab.
Reading: Zelle §1.6, 1.7, 1.9, and §2.1–2.5. As usual, please post responses in Moodle.PS02 (on an introduction to Python and on making change) was posted to Moodle today. It's due on Tuesday.
Week 2: expressions and computation
- 20 September 2011 (T): answering Moodle questions; how computers work.
Reading: Zelle §3.1, 3.4, 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.4.1, moodled.PS03 (on Caesar ciphers) was posted to Moodle today. It's due on Tuesday.The peer evaluation for PS02 was posted to Moodle today. It's due by Thursday.
- 22 September 2011 (R): variables as names, control structures,
and a walkthrough of ps03.
Reading: Zelle §2.6, 3.3, 4.3, 4.4.2–4.4.5, 7.1–7.3, moodled.PS04 (on writing numbers) was posted to Moodle today. It's due on Wednesday.
Week 3: lists and loops
- 27 September 2011 (T): what you already know; fun with words!
Reading: Zelle
§4.1(I meant §4.3), §8.1–8.3, moodled.The peer evaluation for PS03 was posted to Moodle today. It's due by Friday. - 29 September 2011 (R): more fun with words; functions.
Reading: Zelle §4.6, §6.1–6.2, moodled.PS05 was posted to Moodle today. It's due next Thursday, to be done in your newly assigned partnerships.
Week 4: exam #1; loops, lists, functions
- 4 October 2011 (T): prime numbers; prelim #1!
Reading: Zelle §6.4–6.6, moodled.
- 6 October 2011 (R): Steve
Jobs, and lists of lists.
Reading: Zelle §8.4, 8.5, plus review 8.3, Moodled as usual. Also Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke .The peer evaluation for PS05 was posted to Moodle today. It's due by Sunday.PS06 was posted to Moodle today. It's due Tuesday, to be done in your second partnership.
Week 5: data representation
The documentation for Zelle's graphics package
is here.
- 11 October 2011 (T): more loop practice: Nine Billion Names;
a teaser on recursion; classes and objects; midterm course evals.
In-class code is now available in the CourseMaterials folder of the CS111 Courses folder.Reading: Zelle §5.1–5.4, 10.1, Moodled.PS07 (on graphics) was posted to Moodle today. It's due on Thursday.
- 13 October 2011 (R): classes, objects, auctions, windmills.
Reading: Zelle §10.2–10.5, Moodled.The peer evaluation for PS06/07 was posted to Moodle today. It's due by Sunday.PS08 (on cityscapes) was posted to Moodle today. It's an individual assignment due on Tuesday.
Week 6: nested loops; review
- 18 October 2011 (T): question day!
Reading: Zelle §11.1–11.4, Moodled.The second midterm will be held on Tuesday, 25 October 2011. Any material that we've discussed in the class is fair game, which means anything in class through on Thursday, 20 October; problem sets 1–8; and all assigned readings. (The next problem set, PS09, would be good practice; you could consider trying it too.) I've identified some good practice exercises from the text. Certainly don't feel like you have to do anything close to all of them, but these are good ones to try. It's also not a guaranteed-to-be-exhaustive list; there may be other kinds of questions. But these are potentially helpful review problems:
Chapter Discussion Programming Exercises 2 4 8,9 3 1,4 3,4,5,11,15 4 1,2,3(a-d) 3,5,10,15 6 1,3,4,5 1,4,7,12 7 2 1,5,9,13 8 3 2,8,9,11 10 1,2,3 9,10,11 - 20 October 2011 (R): nested loops and image processing.
Reading: Nothing new.PS09 (on blue screening) was posted to Moodle today. It's a pair assignment due next Thursday.
Week 7: software design and image processing
I can't give detailed tech support, but you
instructions for installing the Python Imaging Library (PIL), which
you'll need to do ps09 on your own computer,
on the
Carleton CS pages.
- 25 October 2011 (T): prelim #2
- 27 October 2011 (R): recommender systems; image processing.
Reading: Zelle §7.5, 12.1, 12.4, Moodled.PS10 (more on images and image processing) is now available on Moodle. It's due
TuesdayThursday.The final project announcement was posted to Moodle today. A proposal is due on Thursday, 3 November 2011.
Week 8: recursion, searching
- 1 November 2011 (T): recommender systems, ps10 rebrief, and recursion.
Reading: Zelle §13.2.0–13.2.5, Moodled.The peer evaluation for PS09/10 was posted to Moodle today. It's due by Sunday.
- 3 November 2011 (R): recursion, linear search, binary search.
Reading: Zelle §13.1, §13.2.6–13.2.7, Moodled.PS11 (recursion and fractals) is now available on Moodle. It's due Thursday.
Week 9: sorting
- 8 November 2011 (T): The Hub; binary search;
sorting: selection, insertion, bubble, bozo, pogo, try-all-orderings sort
(animations).
Reading: Zelle §13.3, Moodled.
- 10 November 2011 (R): sorting, course evaluations. dances!
Reading: Zelle §13.4, Moodled. - 10 November 2011 (R): sorting, course evaluations. dances!
Week 10: wrapup
The third midterm will be held on Tuesday. Any material that we've
discussed in the class is fair game. As before, I've identified some
good practice exercises from the text. (The ones listed for the first
two exams remain good practice for this one!) Certainly don't feel
like you have to do anything close to all of them, but these are good
ones to try. (Note: I'm currently away from my Zelle book, and
these question numbers might be from Zelle's 2nd edition. If they
don't make sense as good questions, that's probably why. Sorry if
they're wrong!)
| Chapter | Discussion | Programming Exercises |
| 11 | 1,2 | 5,6,8,11 |
| 13 | 1,2,3,4 | 5,9,10,11 |
- 15 November 2011 (T): prelim #3 (first half of class); ask me anything.
Finals Period:
During our scheduled finals slot (Saturday, 19
November 2011, 12:00p to 2:30p), we will have a demo session for you
to show off your (in-progress) final projects to your classmates.
The final project is due at the end of finals period
(Monday, 21 November 2011).