SUNY College at Cortland
Department of Mathematics
MCS 186 Introductory Programming
Spring 2002
Instructor: R. B. Mattingly
Office: Moffett 128
Office hours: Mon 9-10 AM, Wed 2-3 PM, Fri 12-1 PM, or by appointment
Phone: 753-4326
E-mail: mattinglyr@cortland.edu
Description: Simple data types, arithmetic statements, input/output statements, simple control structures and one-dimensional arrays.
Credit: 3 semester hours
Text: Deitel & Deitel, C++ How to Program, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 2001.
Objectives: After completing this course, students should be able to
Major topics:
Evaluation: Students’ course averages will be determined by the following components.
Programs 45%
In-Class Assignments 15%
Midterm exam 15%
Final Exam 25%
Attendance is required for this course.
Grading: The minimum averages needed for particular letter grades are as follows:
A+: 97% A: 93% A-: 90% B+: 87% B: 83% B-: 80%
C+: 77% C: 73% C-: 70% D+: 67% D: 63% D-: 60%
(The minimum average for a particular letter grade may be lowered at the instructor's discretion.)
MCS 186 Spring 2002, Page 2
This is an introductory course in computer programming designed for students with no prior experience. It is not possible to cover all, or even most of the features of the C++ language, which is very complex and powerful. The major goal of this course is to provide you with a working knowledge of the basic features of C++ to enable you to write useful programs. The mathematics department can offer a second course in programming (MCS 287) if there is sufficient student interest.
This course is designed to be very hands-on: while your textbook and your instructor will provide you with many examples of programs, you will learn to program by writing programs yourself. Regular class attendance is expected. Please bring the following items to every class:
Programming assignments will be assigned on a weekly basis. Students are expected to work independently and develop their own programs. Copying or modifying programs created by others are considered acts of plagiarism. Sharing programs for other students to copy or modify is considered an act of academic dishonesty. Instances of plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be handled as follows:
First offense: Warning to all involved.
Second offense: All students involved receive a grade of zero for the assignment.
Third offense: Failure of course for all students involved.
Students are also expected to comply with all SUNY Cortland rules and regulations governing the acceptable use of computing equipment. All other instances of academic dishonesty will be handled in accordance with Chapter 340 of the SUNY Cortland College Handbook.
Students will generally have 1-2 weeks to complete each programming assignment. Programs submitted after the due date will be penalized 25%. Programs submitted after the due date for the following assignment will receive no credit. Programs containing syntax errors will receive no credit. Detailed information about grading criteria will be provided with each programming assignment.
All programs will be submitted electronically to the instructor: mattinglyr@cortland.edu
Three in-class assignments will be given during the semester. These are similar to programming assignments, but students are expected to complete all work during the class period. The assignments will be straightforward and are intended to assess students’ mastery of basic skills and concepts.
The midterm exam will consist of short-answer questions similar to exercises found at the end of each chapter of the textbook. The instructor will provide students with a list of specific exercises to use as practice problems. The final exam will include both written questions (similar to the midterm) and one or more programming assignments similar to the in-class assignments.
If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Information regarding your disability will be treated in a confidential manner. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible.
MCS 186 Spring 2002, Page 3
Tentative Schedule (changes will be announced in class)
Date |
Topics (read sections from the text indicated in parentheses) |
Jan 24 |
Introduction to computers (1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.7, 1.10-1.13) |
29 |
Introduction to C++ (1.19) |
31 |
Memory concepts (1.20-1.21) |
Feb 5 |
Arithmetic, order of operations (1.22) |
7 |
Decision-making: If selection structure (1.23, 2.5) |
12 |
The if/else structure (2.6) |
14 |
Nested if statements (2.6) |
19 |
In-class assignment 1 |
21 |
While repetition structure, counters (2.7, 2.8) |
26 |
Sentinel-controlled loops (2.9) |
28 |
Assignment, increment, decrement operators, for loops (2.11-2.14) |
Mar 5 |
For loops, switch selection structure (2.15, 2.16) |
7 |
Midterm exam |
12 |
Spring Break—No class |
14 |
Spring Break—No class |
19 |
Input from files (14.5) |
21 |
Output to files (14.4, 18.2) |
26 |
In-class assignment 2 Parameter lists (3.15-3.17) |
28 |
Introduction to functions (3.3, 3.4) |
Apr 2 |
Function definitions(3.5) |
4 |
Prototypes and header files (3.6, 3.7) |
9 |
Random number generation (3.8, 3.9) |
11 |
Parameter lists (3.15-3.17) |
16 |
Arguments (3.18-3.19) |
18 |
Introduction to arrays (4.2-4.3) |
23 |
In-class assignment 3 |
25 |
Examples using arrays (4.4) |
30 |
Arrays and functions (4.5) |
May 2 |
Sorting, searching (4.6, 4.8) |
7 |
Review |
10 |
Final Exam (8:00-10:00 AM) |