<div dir="ltr">What about a set of increasing-complex scenarios?<div><br></div><div>Imagine a set of traffic lights at a crossroad.</div><div><br></div><div>1. Write a strategy to give 70% of green light time to the north/south road and 30% to the east/west road.</div><div>2. Add logic that changes the green-light times to 60/40 in off-peak times (not 7-10am or 3-7pm)</div><div>3. Add additional lights for left/right arrows. Add the logical capacity for the pedestrian crossing buttons to affect these lights so button-pushing pedestrians don't get squashed by traffic.</div><div>4. Near the intersection, an ambulance station is built and they want to be able to set all of the lights in the intersection to red when an ambulance has to race out. Add that logic.</div><div>5. On Christmas day, the lights should randomly blink festive green/amber/red sequences like jolly christmas trees. This should create enough carnage to test the logic in point 4 quite nicely.</div><div><br></div><div>Then there's the Sensorlight algorithm I posted (somewhere) several generations ago: Write the logic to control a sensorlight that turns on for 10 seconds if it detects movement, but only when it's dark. If further movement is detected while the light is on, the light's countdown is reset to 10 seconds. </div><div>You could go on to add extra sensors - e.g. don't turn on the light if the movement is made by a cat-sized object etc.</div><div><br></div><div>Further fun with algorithms:</div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Fun #1 - round a shopping total up or down to the nearest 5 cents.<br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #2 -
Convert any Roman number to decimal (e.g. MCMLXIX to 1969) - and/or vice
versa</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #3 - find the lowest (or greatest)
common denominator of 2 integers (or report that there is no LCD or GCD).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #4 - list prime numbers up to 100</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #5 - simulate the display of a
single-digit liquid crystal display </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Assume there are 7 LCD bars like this</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> _</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">|_|</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">|_|</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Feed it any numeral or alphabetic
character in hexadecimal range (0 to F)
and it should turn on the right bars. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #6 - given a price including 10% GST,
give the ex-tax price and the tax component, e.g. $11 inc = $10 ex + $1 GST.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #7 - create a virtual deck of cards
encoded as numbers 1 to 52. Given any
number from 1 to 52, the algorithm should return the suit and represented by
the card.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #8 - create an algorithm to shuffle the
virtual deck of cards </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #9 - create an algorithm to play
naughts and crosses - it should be unbeatable if the algorithm plays first.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #10 – given an number of dollars,
calculate what minimum number of notes or coins need to be given as change from $100. e.g. $67 = 1 x $20, 1 x $10, 1 x $2, 1 x $1.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #11 – convert any number to binary.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #12 - determine if a year is a leap year or not.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fun #13 - create logic that proves that F3[u][x] takes (asymptotically) the expected number of irreducible values when x runs over polynomials in F3[u] of odd degree, but it appears to take (asymptotically) twice as many irreducible values as expected when x runs over polynomials of degree that is 2 mod 4, while it (provably) takes no irreducible values at all when x runs over nonconstant polynomials with degree that is a multiple of 4.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Warning: #11 is challenging.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mark</p></div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 4 February 2016 at 12:04, Baas, Benjamin B <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:baas.benjamin.b@edumail.vic.gov.au" target="_blank">baas.benjamin.b@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Hi Mark,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Creating the logic. Well anything that will help students to think like a computer.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Cheers,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Ben.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> <a href="mailto:sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au" target="_blank">sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au" target="_blank">sofdev-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Mark<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, 4 February 2016 11:49 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List <<a href="mailto:sofdev@edulists.com.au" target="_blank">sofdev@edulists.com.au</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Teaching Algorithms<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi Benjamin<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Do you mean writing pseudocode, or actually creating the logic of an algorithm?<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">M<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On 4 February 2016 at 10:56, Baas, Benjamin B <<a href="mailto:baas.benjamin.b@edumail.vic.gov.au" target="_blank">baas.benjamin.b@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>> wrote:<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi all,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Does anyone have any resources on creating algorithms. I have some students that are having difficulty breaking down a task/problem.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cheers,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ben.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(23,54,93)">Benjamin Baas</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><img border="0" width="32" height="27" src="cid:image001.png@01D15F44.28A398C0" alt="Description: cid:image001.png@01C9CA67.50F474D0"></span><b><span style="font-size:10pt;color:rgb(148,138,84)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(23,54,93)">Alkira
Secondary College</span></b><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:rgb(23,54,93)">+</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(23,54,93)">
<b>Nurture Ave, Cranbourne North | PO Box 4314, Narre Warren South 3805</b></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Wingdings 2';color:rgb(23,54,93)">'</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Century Gothic',sans-serif;color:rgb(23,54,93)">
</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(23,54,93)"> <a href="tel:%2B61%203%205991%203500" target="_blank">+61 3 5991 3500</a>
</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Wingdings 2';color:rgb(23,54,93)">6
</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(23,54,93)"><a href="tel:%2B61%203%205991%203599" target="_blank">+61 3 5991 3599</a>
</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:rgb(31,73,125)">8<b>
</b></span><span style="color:black"><a href="http://www.alkirasecondarycollege.com.au/" target="_blank"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(84,141,212)">www.alkirasecondarycollege.com.au</span></b></a></span><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(64,64,64)">Alkira Secondary College believes in
</span></i><i><span style="font-size:8pt;color:red">Personalised</span></i><i><span style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(64,64,64)"> learning for all, and
</span></i><i><span style="font-size:8pt;color:red">Respect</span></i><i><span style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(64,64,64)"> for the individual</span></i><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">Mark Kelly</span><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:mark@vceit.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">mark@vceit.com</span></a><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p></p><p>-- <br></p></div></blockquote></div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><i><br></i></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Mark Kelly</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="mailto:mark@vceit.com" style="font-size:12.8px" target="_blank">mark@vceit.com</a><br></div><div><a href="http://vceit.com" target="_blank">http://vceit.com</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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