[Year 12 SofDev] Programming Instructions

[Kent Beveridge]

It end to agree with Michael...initializing a value and then a function and algorithms changing the value of that variable. May not hold for a 'constant' as clearly, it stays the same!

Sent from KB's iPAD.

On 15/05/2012, at 3:17 PM, "Michael Wooldridge" <mwo at mornsc.vic.edu.au<mailto:mwo at mornsc.vic.edu.au>> wrote:

Re question 9. I see your point and, technically, I think you are quite correct.

Perhaps however the answer lies in the word ‘modifies’. Is A=0, setting the initial value of the variable, while the function modifies it? I don’t know! It’s a debate that could rage on for a while.

If it does, I’m siding with you, that an instruction is the most appropriate answer.

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"It is the tragedy of the world that no one knows what he doesn't know - and the less a man knows, the more sure he is that he knows everything" Joyce Cary.

Michael Wooldridge
Information Technology Coordinator
Mornington Secondary College
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From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au> [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark KELLY
Sent: Tuesday, 15 May 2012 2:06 PM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: [Year 12 SofDev] Programming Instructions

I've put the SD examiners' comments on the 2011 exam into my post mortem
(http://www.vceit.com/postmortems/2011sd/SD2011exam.htm)

In the process I noticed section A, Q9...

In a program, a line of code that modifies a variable's content is best described as a

A. function.
B. procedure.
C. instruction.
D. control structure.

The official answer was A.

I don't know about this one... I acknowledge the word "best" but still wonder why couldn't the answer equally be an instruction?
A common instruction like A=0 modifies a variable's content just as often as a function would... more often, probably.

The study design (U3O2 KK09) says kids need to know "processing features of programming languages, including instructions, procedures, methods, functions and control structures" but instructions are not defined by the glossary, the old Fitzpatrick/Keane text, or Adrian's text (it's not in the index at least).

What do you regard as an instruction?  Trying to get a definition from the internet is frustratingly elusive...

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Mark Kelly
Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area
McKinnon Secondary College
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