CSci 157 - Final Review

Exam Coverage: sections from ThinkCS assigned in the reading and homeworks ( from Chapters 1-12, 17&18, only 4.4-4.7 of chapter 4);  Zelle Chapters 1 - 11 (Chapter 9 is worthwhile but I didn't assigned it) (on library reserve)

The final exam is comprehensive; the course builds on the fundamentals presented in lecture and the text, so there may be questions about topics covered on previous exams and questions on other topics which use them:

• expressions, evaluation, variables, assignment
• the input and print statements
• number types and other data types, type conversions
• modules: math, random, graphics
• boolean expressions and selection statements
• sequence types, mutable and immutable data types
• functions, parameters, and function calls
• score and lifetime of variables: global (module) variables, local variables, function parameters, instance variables and class variables
  
• iteration statements (for and while)
• nested sequences, processed by nested loops
• dictionaries, including using sequences or other dictionaries as values

Examples from lecture, in-class exercises, homeworks, labs, and the text will figure in the exam.

Sequences

Strings. We remember strings (the str type), right? Know the basics, using the slice operator, and common string methods.

Lists (single and nested). Know how to create, initialize, and build single or nested lists. Be able to use index variables to access data in a list (for example as in weatherData/WeatherClass). Understand how data is stored in rows and columns in a nested list structure (as the Connect-4 and CheckerBoard examples). Review programs from lab and homework assignments, including list methods such as append. Common operations on numerical data in lists including finding a value in a list, summing all the values in a list, averaging the values in a list.

Range.  How the range function works when given two or three arguments. Use with the list conversion operator and in definite loops.

Tuples. The main use for tuples was to return more than one value from functions, as in the raceway.py example. We also saw them used in assignment statements in a similar way.

Dictionary. Storing key/value pairs in simple and nested dictionary structures along with the common dict methods. Primary examples come from the Collections Activity and Chapter 12 of ThinkCS.

Nested Sequences

Processing nested sequences, especially nested lists, generally requires nested loops. For example, the code below accesses and sums all the values in a nested list. To check your understanding of the what each loop does, insert a print function after the outer for loop to print row. You could also print x each time through the inner loop. Or, visualize the execution using PythonTutor.com.

values = [ [1,2,3], [4,5,6], [7,8,9], [10,11,12] ]
sum = 0
for row in values:
    for x in row:
        sum += x
print(sum)

Reading and Writing Files

Know the basics of opening, reading from, writing to, and closing files. Since the data in the file is typically read in sequence, they are considered sequences and are often read using for loops.

User-defined data types: class

The idea of class types that describe attributes and operations. Basic class design, object creation, constructors (__init__) and method calls. We also have the concept of scope of variables within a class along with local variables in methods. Recall the class variables such as the avagadro variable used in the Atom example (atom3.py). We spent some time on the role of __init__ in constructing new objects of class types, the role of self in defining new instance variables, and using self to access variables and methods inside class definitions.

Inheritance

Know how we derive new classes from existing classes and use them in programs. Some terminology: base class (superclass) and derived class (subclass); inheritance and composition (the relationships IS-A and HAS-A); class hierarchies

Miscellaneous Sources. Some concept and coding questions may be derived from lab, homework exercises and examples given in the textbook and in lecture. You might read over some of the exercises at the end of sections and chapters that we covered in the text and at least think about how to solve them.

Questions? If at any time you find that you cannot do a problem or understand a concept or a how a question on a previous test should be solved, contact me by e-mail or during office hours, including the afternoon of Reading Day. Bring as many questions as necessary to clear up anything you can't figure out on your own.

Come Equipped. You may bring your own notes and textbook (no sharing).  No calculators, laptops, magnifying lenses, or Walkmans needed or allowed for the final; caffienated beverages okay.