Computer Science 105 Assignment 1 - Algorithmic Thinking
Due: 5:00pm September 10, 2003

Objectives and Overview: In this lab, you will begin to think about problem solving in an algorithmic way.  The readings and many of the problems for this assignment are in Chapter 1 of your text.  

Part 1 - Accessing Course Software

Your personal Bowdoin username and password provide access to the software for this course.  In the iMac lab, the following steps will connect you:

1.  Select the menu item Go -> Connect to Server and type afp://collaboration.bowdoin.edu
2.  Enter your personal Bowdoin login (e-mail) Name and Password.
3.  A new icon called Computer Science will appear on the desktop.
4.  Double-click the folder Computer Science -> csci105

The following folders are particularly useful for completing this and other assignments in this course.

csci105 -> Users -> <your username> is a folder in which you can save work from week to week during the semester.

csci105 -> Invitation contains the lab software for many exercises in this course.  

csci105 -> Drop Box is the place where you can submit an electronic copy of your completed work when you finish an assignment.

csci105 -> Lectures is a folder where copies of PowerPoint lecture notes will be kept during the semester, for your use.

 Drag a copy of the folder csci105 -> Invitation to your desktop, and then close the folder csci105.

Part 2 - Creating a Glossary (Lab Experience 1)

Open the folder csci105 -> Invitation that you copied to the desktop; you will be working with this folder for the rest of the lab.

Double-click on the (multi-colored) icon Invitation (OSX).  The following menu should appear:



The button Glossary is used for this assignment.  When you select it, a page will appear that allows you to keep a glossary of terms and their definitions as you learn them during the semester.  Try entering the terms "Computer science" and "Algorithm" into your glossary, along with their definitions that we discussed in class and the pages in your text where they are introduced.

When you are finished with this exercise, you can save your glossary on the desktop (give it the file name <your username>.glo).  Finally, you can drag a copy of this file into the csci105 -> Users -> <your username> folder, thus saving it for later use during the semester.

Part 3 - Algorithmic Problem Solving

1.  Using the completed "Mouse in a maze" algorithm discussed in class, what modifications would be needed to make the mouse hug the left wall rather than the right wall as it looks for the exit?  Does this modification work (i.e., does it produce an effective algorithm for all mazes)?

2.  Complete exercises 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9 on pages 23-24 of your text.  

You may do this work either by hand or with a word processor (e.g., MS Word).  Also, you may choose to do this assignment either by yourself or in teams of two.  If you work with someone else, the team may hand in one copy of the completed exercises with both names at the top.

Part 4 - Submitting Your Work

To submit a file electronically, you should first rename it so that you are identified as the author (e.g., give it a name like asst1atucker).  Then drag the file  to the csci105 -> Drop Box folder.  Be careful not to drag an entire folder into the Drop Box -- only a single file at a time can be submitted.

Once you are finished in the lab, be sure to drag the csci105 icon to the Trash - this step disconnects you from the server and prevents someone else (who uses this iMac later in the day) from accessing files in your personal folder by mistake.

To submit a handwritten assignment, leave it in my mailbox outside Searles 222.

Note: Even though the lab programs for this course can be saved and submitted electronically, you should always keep a backup copy of your own work, so that if a file is lost you won't have to retype it from scratch.

Part 5 (additional information) - Accessing Course Assignments and Software on the Web

To access the course syllabus and assignments on-line, open a Web browser and type the URL www.bowdoin.edu/~allen.  Now select the link CS105 - Introduction to Computers and the Web, which leads you to the syllabus.  Select Asst 1 in the right hand column to see this assignment.  

If you have a computer in your room, and wish to download the course software to that computer, use Explorer or Netscape and follow these steps:

1.  Go to the Web site http://www.brookscole.com/cgi-brookscole/course_products_bc.pl?fid=M18&discipline_number=6

2.  Scroll down this page and select our textbook (An Invitation to Computer Science - 2nd edition), and then select Lab Files.

3.  Enter the username "sgcpp" and password "ken".

4.  You may download the course software for either a PC (lab_software_pc-unix.zip) or a Macintosh (mac_lab_software.sit) from this page.