Binary search is a more efficient way of searching a sorted list.
The Python function given gives you an example of how this might be implemented. It either returns the found position or -1 meaning that the value has not been found.
There are other implementations available that make use of different constructs including recursion.
Today in class we used TRACS to look at the program from last time, so we could better understand how it works and how the Python translator works.
The class was then set a new program to create.
Write a program that takes in 3 numbers, calculates the total, then works out the change from a given amount.
2.99, 1.50, 3.00
10.00
Our 1st Python program makes use of a number of new constructs and variables.
# – Internal Commentary, anything after the # on the same line is ignored by the translator
= (Assignment) – values are assigned to the variables using an equals sign.
input() – a string is captured from the keyboard using the input() function
int() – this function changes the datatype of the given variable to an integer (Whole number)
Expression – The expression is the right hand side of the =, this is evaluated and any calculations performed, the results are then assigned to the variable on the left hand side of the equals
print() – This function displays a string. The “,” is used to concatenate strings and add a space between them.
I thought this was a good article for AH. It names 7 algorithms that professional programmers should be familiar with but doesn’t go into a lot of detail. That leaves a lot of scope for you to investigate these techniques.
If you are looking to give yourself a bit of a challenge then try these mini projects.
There is no set level for these and in fact your solution might change as you learn new constructs and data structures.
I found these cheat sheets on this site and here. A cheat sheet is a condensed (normally 2 A4 sides) set of notes for an aplication or programming language. They are not designed to be notes in themselves, they are more an aide-mémoire to help you recall how to do something.
There are a lot of languages here but I thought it was worth keeping the list intact. There is a lot in here that is in the course so make sure that you read the entire list.
OverAPI.com – Collecting All Cheat Sheets
