Troubleshooting

Highlights from this week:
-Decision control in python relies on Boolean logic anything not false (zeros (0,0.0) empty sequences, false sequences and nothings) are true.
- learned about conditionals (there are three; and,or,if with the if statement being the most common) which checks whether or not a statement is true as a condition for running. Just like in jeroo, if statements that contain elif statements offer the user more control over the code.
-comparison operators such as <,>,=<,>=,==,=! also evaluate true or false
-nested conditionals are confusing to read. Python allows the user to simplify by using comparison operators
-while loops may be used to repeat certain sections of code until a defined condition is met
                   
          ex. a=0
         while a<5
          means that this loop will continue to run until a is equal to five.
-for loops are a lot like while loops but they are preferrable to while loops when it comes to listing things
          ex. for variable in range (1,50) will assign the numbers 1-49 to variable

Lab:
-Finished with lots of help. Realized that one of my problems was not reading the pre-lab or the lab thoroughly enough to understand the task which, as you can imagine, doesn't help. I need to slow down. Thank goodness Mr. Tessler was willing to help me...Hopefully i can start to do more of the lab on my own next week. Mini-goal for 2/11-2/16, SET!

GRHHHH

      The most difficult part about this first project is solving the syntactical errors. I guess this week was the first time i realized how intricate coding is. One letter off or one space too many can lead to dysfunctional line of code. Although this isn't a new discovery, working on the project this week allowed me to see how much like binary general coding is. You either have the code right to a tee or not at all-- there's no middle ground. However, not to be a debbie downer, there are a few things i think i can learn from this week's assignment. For one, I'm not very detail oriented. Otherwise, a common error for me wouldn't be a missing colon at the end of a function definition. For two, I'm not that great at computer programming. Even though it was the first project every in which students had to write from scratch, i needed a lot of help besides consultation from previous labs and power points. I don't know what i would do without the people around me but i'm thankful that they were so willing to help. I wonder what the likelihood of me being able to help them out is....

And everything ends in a question mark

  I feel rather fortunate for being able to work on the project before its officially assigned. However, this good feeling is often overshadowed by my newfound realization of my understanding of the language. Although the project was introduced as a tool which would help quiz averages, i have found the project to be an assessment tool of sorts. In short, the results aren't pretty. According to my lack of progress within the hour i got to work on the project, it seems that i need to strengthen my understanding of coding syntax, the use of output/input variables (as well as arguments) and etc. The list is quite daunting and aside from looking over previous labs and slides, i dont know how to improve.
    The task as hand is surprising at best and undeniably intimidating. The comprehensive nature of the assignment definitely amps up the difficulty. In the project, students are expected to "to help an angry bird choose its trajectory so it can hit a pig located at a certain distance d and at a certain elevation h from the bird's position." Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you see it, in this first hour alone i've made some discoveries.I don't read very thoroughly. Instead of reading and understanding the hint,i tried to find velocity on my own. sigh. Its times like these that I feel like a genius.

How to Function

Functions in python are similar to functions in Jeroo. They are defined by the word def followed by the name and then the arguments
ex. def myster(a,b):
Anything included in the function must be written after the definition and indented and when functions are to be used, they need to be called and the call needs to follow the same indention as the definition. Arguments within the call must also be written out
ex myster(a,b)
Regardless of how you define a variable before a function, variables are bound at the call site. In other words, previous variables are forgotten. In the words of the powerpoint "Variables used in functions but defined outside of the function can be changed"

So why you functions or what can you do with functions?
1. they can make code easier
2.they can be used to define local variables (a. a new variable altogether or b. redefining a variable previously defined outside of the function to substitute its value)* these variables are then bound or set within the function
3.define new functions (act as a stepping stone for another function. similar to nesting?)

Lab issues:
So, this week's lab. I gotta say, it wasn't the most straightforward to say the least but i think next time i should open two skeleton documents, get rid of all the notes in one and work on that in order to mitigate any confusion that comes from the text....hopefully the i can focus better on the task. In general, although i feel like i understand functions, i still need to practice more so that defining variables will become more like second nature...maybe tomorrow...maybe : )

s is for snake?

Nope, no reptiles or creepy crawley snakes to report this week. Just Python, another computer language that looks almost like a natural language.

Recap:
Just as in in Jeroo, code in python consists of functions (ie. print), statements ( print("argument")), loops, and conditionals. Anything enclosed in "" are called strings. Numbers in this language can be categorized as integers or floating and are expressions. As far as variables go and completing tasks, Jeroo is actually very similar to python, at least on the conceptual level. Some differences i really took note of during the lecture is that when assigning variables and so on, the right side is evaluated first and then stored as the variable toward the left of the equal sign. Though i don't know whether or not this is an important deal, it nonetheless was a linguistic nuance that stuck for some odd reason. Furthermore, apparently the tutorial also suggests that one not ought to confuse the equal sign as something which equivocates both sides of the statement. Am i slightly confuzzled. Why yes. Fortunately, i now have python on my computer which means i can practice...because, as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.

Some basic numerical operations to remember:

Operation	Symbol	Example
Power (exponentiation)	**	5 ** 2 == 25
Multiplication	*	2 * 3 == 6
Division	/	14 / 3 == 4.666666666666667
Integer Division	//	14 // 3 == 4
Remainder (modulo)	%	14 % 3 == 2
Addition	+	1 + 2 == 3
Subtraction	-	4 - 3 == 1

chapter 1 of "Non-Programmer's Tutorial for Python 3," down. Next up....break time. : )

I CAUGHT THE JEROO

     Very Thankful. Finished Jeroo Lab 5B in 15 minutes and without help! Even though the beginning of this week was rough, it got progressively better! I owe my progress to my helpful and patient instructor (not trying to kowtow here) for his willingness to coach me through labs and for his tip which i shall dub ULT (short for ultimate). Its not very creative but hey, this isn't English class. Its where students think of tasks in terms of a particular end point and the conditions associated with that end point and then trace back to the point of orientation to work out possible traps and hindrances. I think that's definitely been key to accomplishment today. That and realizing that freaking out about learning does not help one learn better.
     Perhaps this tip isn't applicable to other things like how to study for finals, but its definitely made me more confident about the final exam. I guess I can see why people like Jeroo now because once you get it (code and all), its like a puzzle. I can't say I've mastered the program or the language used in the program but at least I see a light bulb flickering at the end of the tunnel!

Things we explored this week:
-Loops
-If statements
-compound statements
-recursions

Things i would like to improve next week if time permits:
-writing loops that are concise and efficient.
-how to implement recursions and when they work best
-language

Other goals:
-110 on the final : )

Who said pythons eat Jeroo's?

   That's right, the world is sadly confused. Pythons do not eat Jeroos, they guide them! Well sort of, at least that's what i'm getting so far. So python is one of the codes to use for the program Jeroo. Turns out (thankfully) that Jeroo likes me a lot more than Scratch. This week the class learned about the basics of the program as well as how to program methods or a series of behaviors a jeroo can do that could be thought of as being similar to the repeat scrip in scratch. Basic code is as follows:

to create a jeroo: name=jeroo(row#,column#,number of flowers or cardinal direction)
jeroos can: hop(), pick up flowers, pick(), plant a flower, (plant), toss a flower one spot ahead (toss)
give a flower,give(dir) and turn in a direction, turn(dir)
dir= LEFT, RIGHT,AHEAD,HERE

Methods on the other hand are a series of behaviors a jeroo will perform all branched under one main 'headline'

Writing a method:
Under the methods tab-

def name(self):
       self.hop()
       self.pick(1)
....

Under the regular tab-
jerooname. name()

Tomorrow we're learning about loops. Hopefully this week will be an even more pleasant experience!