CPTR 124
Fundamentals of Programming Winter 2010

Rick Halterman

School of Computing
126 Hickman Hall
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, TN 37315-0370
423-236-2871

halterman@southern.edu
http://computing.southern.edu/halterman

Office Hours: http://computing.southern.edu/halterman/General/OfficeHours

HSC 115    MWF 10:00–10:50 am
HSC 116   (Lab)    T 1:00–3:30 pm or T 2:00–4:30 pm

Halterman, Richard L. Fundamentals of C++ Programming. 2010.

Math ACT ≥ 22 or MATH 107 Survey of Mathematics II, or permission of instructor

Catalog description:

CPTR 124. Fundamentals of Programming (G-1) 4 hours
Prerequisite: Math ACT ≥ 22 or MATH 107 or permission of instructor.
Control structures, data types, data representation, compiling, debugging, modularity, and standard programming algorithms are introduced, using an object oriented language. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory each week.

This course has three objectives:

1. to develop the ability to correctly analyze a variety of problems and generate appropriate algorithmic solutions
2. to explore the syntax and usage of the C++ programming language as a means of accomplishing the first objective
3. to examine the software development environment and associated tools.

Grade Distribution. Final grades are determined according to the following table:

The letter grades indicate guaranteed minimums; a plus (+) or minus (-) may be attached to further qualify a letter grade.

Class Work. The average used to determine the final grade is computed from the following class activities and is weighted as indicated.

Laboratories and assignments. Attendance at laboratory sessions is required as this is a four credit-hour course. All lab assignments are due at the designated time and date. Late assignments will be penalized.

Ethics. It is expected that each student work individually on individual programming assignments.  For team assignments, collaboration is limited to teammates.  Programming problems on tests will be based largely on the experience gained by doing past lab assignments, so it is important that each student develop his/her own programs for adequate preparation for the examinations. As long as each student develops his/her own logic and code, it is permissible to help each other over occasional rough spots. In a team programming environment, each team member is expected to understand the workings of the complete program regardless of the division of responsibilities during development.  Except among teammates, portions of programs should never be shared. Those involved in allowing their programs, or parts of their programs, to be copied, or copying from other students' programs risk receiving a grade of F in the course.

Class study. Appropriate study for the course includes reading the textbook (at least as far as last class's lecture material), experimenting with the programs from the book and programs we develop in class, working through the exercises at the end of each chapter. Daily quizzes encourage students to remain current in their class preparation. Usually quizzes will be distributed at the beginning of the class period. Missed quizzes may not be made up; however, the lowest three quiz scores for each student will be dropped.

Class decorum. Please comply with the standards of classroom attire as specified in the Student Handbook.  Notebook computers are welcome, and the classroom and lab (generally) have an excellent wireless signal.  Those with computers should mute the volume and sit in the rear of the class so as not to distract students behind them.  Electronic devices must be turned off during quizzes and tests.  You are expected to remain in the classroom during quizzes and tests, so be sure to take care of affairs (such as bathroom visits and tissue acquisition) before you sit for the quiz or test.

Examinations.  The dates for each test is listed in this syllabus. In certain situations, due to unavoidable circumstances, a missed test may be made up. Arrangements for the retake should be made before the time of the originally scheduled test. The make-up test may vary greatly in form from the original test, but its content (topics addressed) will be the same. Because of this difference, any points added (the so called "curve") to tests taken during the regularly scheduled time may not apply to retakes.

Please note the date and time for our final exam on the tentative class schedule. You need to plan to take your final exam at the scheduled time. Please make your work and vacation plans accordingly. Academic Administration will grant approval for variance from the published exam schedule only in cases of verified, serious, illness or a death in the immediate family. Academic Administration may, in case of exceptional and unavoidable circumstances, approve a variance, in consultation with the professor of this course. A $65 processing fee may be assessed.

Extra credit. Since the assigned material and activities are sufficient for most students, no extra credit will be available for additional work. However, well-prepared students wishing to enhance their learning experience beyond the class activities will be directed, upon request, to additional resources. Any such additional work will not influence the grade for this class.  

SAU account.  All students must have an active Southern Adventist University email account. This account is necessary to receive class messages and to be able to use the computers in the programming lab. If you normally use a different email address, please set up your SAU account to forward your email to your preferred address; instructions about how to do this are available upon request.

Disability Support Services. In keeping with University policy, any student with a disability who needs academic accommodations must call Disability Support Services at 236-2574 or stop by Lynn Wood Hall, room 308, to arrange a confidential appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator during the first week of classes. (Students who request accommodations after the third week of the semester should not depend on receiving accommodations for that semester. Legally, no retroactive accommodations can be provided. For more details, visit the Disability Support Services Web site at http://dss.southern.edu/.) Students whose accommodations requests are approved will be provided confidential letters for them to deliver to their professors for review and discussion about how to implement the accommodations in relation to particular course requirements. Accommodations for disabilities are available only as recommended by Disability Support Services.

• The context of software development
• Tools: preprocessor, compiler, linker, debugger, profiler
• Developing C++ under Visual Studio 2008
• Program structure: #includes, main function
• Values, variables, identifiers, assignment, reserved words
• Types: integer types (int, long, unsigned, etc.), floating point types (float, double), characters.
• Arithmetic: arithmetic operators, expressions, mixed-type expressions, operator precedence and associativity
• Comments
• Source code formatting
• Errors and warnings
• Definition of algorithm
• Conditional execution: bool, relational operators, Boolean expressions, if statement, compound Boolean expressions, if/else, nested conditionals, multiway if/else, errors in conditional statements
• Iteration: while, nested loops, abnormal termination (break, continue, goto), infinite loops, iteration examples
• Other conditional and iterative constructs: switch, conditional operator, do/while, for
• Using functions: parameter passing, function prototypes, standard mathematics functions, max and min, system time, character routines, pseudorandom numbers
• Writing functions: defining functions, calling functions, formal vs. actual parameters, call by value, example functions
• More on functions: global variables, persistent local variables, overloaded functions, recursion, multifile programs, pointers, call by reference (pointers vs. reference parameters)
• Vectors: declaring, using, passing to functions, multidimensional vectors, iterators
• Vector algorithms: sorting, linear search, binary search
• Using objects: standard C++ classes, string, vector.
• Programmer-defined types: Classes, data members, member functions (methods), public vs. private members, constructors
• Inheritance and polymorphism

(If time permits we will examine primitive arrays, C strings, and memory management issues.)

• Tuesday, January 5: first day of class
• Monday, January 18: no class (MLK Day)
• Wednesday, February 10: exam #1
• Friday, February 26–Friday March 5: no class (spring break)
• Wednesday, March 24: exam #2
• Tuesday, April 27 at 10:00 am: final exam

Code we develop in class is available here.