CPSC 231: Midterm Information

(I will add information here as we get closer to the exam so you should check back here for updates)

Date/location:

• In class midterm Friday March 2 during normal class time

Review material:

• During lecture as I cover the material I have provided suggestions of what an exam-like question may look like. You should attend class for this info and note the details as it comes up.
• In class midterm review: although I go over exam-type questions during the semester, in the lecture just before the exam (Wednesday February 28) I will take some time out of class to go over some sample exam questions.
• Extra-extra review questions: They are meant to provide you with some extra practice so you need to actually try them on your own to get anything out of it. For that reason, solutions won't be posted and I won't just "email you the solutions". But it really shouldn't be a big loss because I have taught you how you can find out the answers for yourself:
  • For the 'tracing' questions where you have to determine the output of a program then you can always type in the program or expression and run it yourself. (Copy and paste works well out of PDF files).
  • The 'writing' questions (e.g. write a query or write a program) are a little trickier but you can still check your answers by testing the results e.g. does your program produce the results specified in the question.
  • If you are still unsure of things after you have attempted a question (e.g. you can't figure out why you got a given result after typing it in and running the program), then you can ask (just be sure to show me the work that you have done so I can see how far that you have gotten and perhaps where you are having problems). Again don't just coming in cold without making an attempt.
  • Link to [Extra-extra review questions]
  • Still want more practice questions? Try working through the sample problems in the bookstore textbook!
  • Finished all the textbook problems and want still more? Try working through practice problems in the (Python v3.X) textbooks that you can find via the UC-Safari website. (Note that I haven't personally vetted the textbooks for quality or match for CPSC 231 so you will need to do that beforehand).

Instructions for the day of the exam (instructions that you should follow when you enter the room before you start writing)

Front cover with actual exam instructions (so make sure you look at this beforehand)

Material that you should study

• The lecture material: the PowerPoint slides will provide you with an outline of the topics to be covered. However studying the information just listed on the slides won't be sufficient to do well on the final exam. You will also need to take notes in class and to study and understand those notes. If you have any questions then make sure that you ask me for help and clarification.
• Text books: can be used as another source of material to help you understand the material as you prepare for the exam. I won't however directly examine you on material that is listed in the textbooks that I didn't cover in class.
• Tutorial exercises and the tutorial handouts: I won't be directly examining you on this material (unless it overlaps with the lecture material, the exception is the material on UNIX would you got to apply in A1 and the generation of random numbers).

Lecture topics (exam review)

Introduction to programming

• Creating, translating programs into binary/machine language and executing programs
• Variables: declaring, assigning values, accessing, naming conventions
• Named constants: difference from variables, naming conventions
• Common arithmetic operators, order of operation
• Print(): displaying string vs. memory (variables, constants) output, format specifiers, escape codes, triple quoted output
• Input()
• Functions that convert types: int(), float(), int()
• Strings: concatenation
• Program documentation: inline and header
• The three types of errors: syntax, runtime, logic. How they differ, when they occur, examples of each
• Random number generation: random.randrange() (Tutorial example)

Decision making

• Branching structures: IF, IF-ELSE, IF-ELIF and multiple IFs
• Logical operators: AND, OR, NOT (logical expressions formed inside of Python programs and formed outside of coding e.g. truth tables and the other layouts covered in lecture)
• Nested branches
• Minimum test cases for decision making structures
• Drawbacks of floating point variables and the use of an Epsilon

Repetition

• Categories of looping structures: pre-test, post-test
• FOR loops, WHILE loops
• Examples of counting loops: single increment, decrement, increments/decrements in values other than one
• WHILE loops that don't update by a additive amount (e.g. increase by a product)
• FOR loops that iterate through strings

• Erroneous loops: never end, never run

• Sentinel controlled loops

• Nesting: nested loops, branches nested in loops, loops nested in branches

• Minimum test cases for loops

• Usability Heuristics

Exam topics

Again: You are expected to be familiar with common functions that have been covered in class such as: print(), input(), int(), float(), str(), randrange().

Exam questions¹

^{1 It's based on a near-final version of the midterm (exact proportions may vary *slightly*}