Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Where....

During 2nd Period, we create a "Generic" outline for a program:

  • Setup Commands
  • Set Variables with initial values
  • Loop X times
  • Draw Pictures
  • Update variables
  • End the loop

We then tried to add animation to the program. It was discussed that we should add delays and clrdraw commands to the program.

The following was suggested:

  • Setup Commands
  • Set Variables with initial values
  • Loop X times
  • Draw Pictures
  • Update variables
  • delay
  • clrdraw
  • End the loop

Sarai, then suggested that we move the delay command as follows:

  • Setup Commands
  • Set Variables with initial values
  • Loop X times
  • Draw Pictures
  • delay
  • Update variables
  • clrdraw
  • End the loop

Let's just examine the delay command.

QUESTION: Does it matter where we put the delay command? If so, then where should it go and why? If not, then why not? Please leave a comment.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Quiz Friday

What should be on the quiz? If I don't get any responses, then I will assume everything we have covered so far is fair game.

http://www.bgo.netfirms.com/

Setup program

What should we include in our setup program?

How can you get a program to "call" another program?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

HW5...Delays, Variables, and Setups

Today, we talked about HW5. There were some important concepts that students had questions about --- variables, delays, and setups.

How did the S variable work in HW5?
How did we store a value for T? U?
Everytime through the loop, did the value of S change? Value of T change? U?

On the topic of delays -- how did we accomplish that?
If I wanted a LONG delay, what would I do?
What advice do you have for the END commands?
Can I choose any letter for the delay variable?

Lastly, we were supposed to talk about the Setup.
What should be included in a Setup section?
Will the Setup section be the same for all programs?
Can we have our program call another program -- like loops within loops?

Please share your answers to these questions, ask some more questions, and leave any comments.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

TI Programming Guides

In order to complete our unit problem, we may need to use supplemental resources.

I found the following guide that maybe helpful.
http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/pems/news/high_school/83programming.pdf

I am sure many more exist. Add a comment to share any guides you find.

Also, add any questions you may have so that your peers could answer them.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

loops



Today we discussed how to incorporate LOOPs in our programming code. We specifically talked about FOR loops. Can someone explain how to use the FOR loop? What other loop commands are there?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Stick Figure


Would anyone like to share their stick figure program?

Sunday, December 2, 2007

As the Cube Turns


As the Cube Turns

This unit opens with an overhead display, generated by a program on a graphing calculator. The two-dimensional display depicts the rotation of a cube in three-dimensional space. The students' central task in the unit is to learn how to write such a program.

Though the task is defined in terms of writing a program, the real focus of the unit is the mathematics behind the program. The unit takes students into several areas of mathematics. They study the fundamental geometric transformations—translations, rotations, and reflections—in both two and three dimensions, and express them in terms of coordinates. The analysis of rotations builds on the experience they have just had in High Dive with trigonometric functions and polar coordinates, and leads them to see the need for and to develop formulas for the sine and cosine of the sum of two angles. Working with these transformations also provides a new setting in which students can work with matrices, which they previously studied in connection with systems of linear equations.

Another complex component of their work is analyzing the way to represent a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional screen. They have an opportunity to see how projection onto a plane is affected by both the choice of the plane and the choice of a viewpoint or center of projection.

The unit closes with two major projects, which students work on in pairs: They write a program to make the cube turn, and they program an animated graphic display of their own design.