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<title>Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Records and Arrays</title>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hi again,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I seem to have set the cat among
the pigeons with my original post. I’m wondering whether, based on Guy and
David’s reflections on the Pascal basis of the term, we need to keep the notion
of a record at a formal level. It seems that what we persist in calling a
record is, in practice if not in fact, a 1D array of any type of term, and a 2D
array is a collection of “records”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Laurie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au
[mailto:sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Janson, Adrian A<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, 19 August 2010 8:54 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List<br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: [Year 12 SofDev] Records and Arrays<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-family:Consolas;color:black'>Hi everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-family:Consolas;color:black'>I know that some of you were happy
with the definitions I posted before, and I do want to keep them simple – but,
how about this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black'>One-Dimensional Arrays<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black'>A one dimensional (or 1D) array is a data structure in which
variables are grouped together under the same name and accessed via a number
known as the ‘index’. Although an array typically contains only one data type,
it can consist of multiple data types (as is possible in some languages such as
PHP and Python).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-family:Consolas;color:black'>....<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black'>Records<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black'>A record is a structure that can be used to group together
variables for a particular purpose. Records are similar to arrays but whereas
an array usually contains elements all of the same type, the variables within a
record are usually of different types and sizes. Indexing the elements of a
record is often done via an identifier which is declared at the same time as
the record.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-family:Consolas;color:black'>The important thing – as some have
stated already, is for us to be able to tell students: ‘this is the standard
definition of an array and a record’. So if a student were asked on the exam
‘what is an array’, they could answer ‘an array is a data structure in which
variables are grouped together under the same name and accessing using an index
number’. – and get full marks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-family:Consolas;color:black'>Adrian</span><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText style='margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#002060'>Adrian
Janson </span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.0pt;color:#002060'>B.Sc, Dip.Ed,
M.Ed<br>
</span></b><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:#002060'>Director of ICT<br>
</span></b><span style='color:#244061'>Melbourne High School, Forrest Hill,
South Yarra, Victoria 3141 Australia.<br>
Phone: 03 9826 0711 International: +61 3 9826 0711<br>
Fax: 03 9826 8767 International: +61 3 9826 8767<br>
E-mail: </span><span style='color:black'><a
href="https://www.edumail.vic.gov.au/mail/janson.adrian.a/Drafts/RE:%20%5bYear%2012%20SofDev%5d%20Records%20and%20Arrays.EML/janson.adrian.a@edumail.vic.gov.au">janson.adrian.a@edumail.vic.gov.au</a></span><span
style='color:#244061'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#244061'>Website: </span><span
style='color:black'><a href="http://www.mhs.vic.edu.au/">http://www.mhs.vic.edu.au</a></span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#244061'>Blog: </span><span
style='color:black'><a href="http://jansona.edublogs.org/" target="_blank">http://jansona.edublogs.org</a></span><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au on behalf of
David Dawson<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thu 19/08/2010 8:46 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> sofdev@edulists.com.au<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Records and Arrays</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>What a fascinating discussion this is! (No I
mean it!)<br>
When I started teaching Pascal in 1998 - I was so confused by
"records"<br>
- and came to see them as "customised data types" and - having just<br>
learnt some Java and C++ - I figured they were really like Classes - or<br>
even objects.<br>
In any case I have not come up against this mysterious "data
structure"<br>
in the other languages I have explored - in C they are constructed and<br>
can be called anything - and I bet that the library file could be<br>
renamed ""list_o_stuff" - even in Pascal.<br>
I prefer PHP at present and in PHP - like so many languages - the thing<br>
people seem to miss is that in "weakly typed languages" everything
just<br>
starts as a String and is dealt with "contextually" as someone
cleverly<br>
pointed out earlier. If there are numbers we wish to multiply the<br>
language figures this out by our operations - very smooth!<br>
An array is a list defined by a computer language to store temporary<br>
Strings! Some languages limit these - if they insist on strong variable<br>
typing.<br>
I really hope records are just amended out of any reference in the study<br>
design.<br>
IMHO they died 10 years ago!<br>
<br>
David Dawson<br>
Head of Information Technology Learning Area<br>
Head of Learning Technologies<br>
St Kilda Rd Campus<br>
Wesley College<br>
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