Assignments


There are 6 programming assignments in all. These are due at midnight (11:59 PM to be precise) on the dates indicated on the Calendar page.

# Title Goal Links
1 Simple Programs Implement simple programs with and without control flow (ie, branches and loops). writeup | zip | discussion
2 Global Sequence Alignment Compute the optimal sequence alignment between two DNA strings using dynamic programming. writeup | zip | discussion
3 Percolation Estimate the percolation threshold of a system, which is a measure of how porous the system needs be so that it percolates. writeup | zip | discussion
4 Collections Implement some simple collection ADTs (array list, linked list, deque, and random queue). writeup | zip | discussion
5 Autocomplete Implement autocomplete feature for a given set of strings and nonnegative weights, ie, given a prefix, find and list all strings in the set that start with the prefix, in descending order of weights. writeup | zip | discussion
6 Eight Puzzle Solve the eight-puzzle problem (and its natural generalizations) using the A⋆ search algorithm. writeup | zip | discussion

The writeup file contains descriptions of the problems in the assignment. The zip file contains the starter files for the problems, any necessary data files, and notes.txt file for the assignment. The discussion link provides additional explanation of the assignment problems and directions on how to solve them.

Submitting Your Work

You will use Gradescope to submit your Java programs (ie, .java files) and the notes.txt file. Make sure that you only submit files listed under the Files to Submit section of the assignment writeup.

You may submit your files as many times as you like, up until the assignment deadline. The most recent submission is considered active by default and your score on the active submission is your official score for the assignment as well. You have the option of making any of your previous submissions active.

Note: If your active submission is partial, your assignment score will also be partial, so in order to be eligible for full credit, make sure you have an active submission containing all the required files for the assignment.

How the Assignments will be Scored

Correctness

Your solution to each assignment problem will be evaluated for correctness by an autograder. Each test that is used for this purpose is worth some number of points; your solution will receive all the points from a test that passes and 0 points from a test that does not pass. Your overall correctness score will be normalized to 80 points.

Clarity and Efficiency

Your solution to each assignment problem will additionally be checked by a TA for clarity and efficiency. Your code will receive 10 points if it meets our expectations (must include adequate comments, must follow good programming principles, and must meet any problem-specific requirements), and will be marked down otherwise.

Notes File

The given notes.txt file for an assignment must be uploaded with the three sections (#1 mandatory, #2 if applicable, and #3 optional) filled in as appropriate. In section #1, for each problem, you must include in nore more than 100 words: a short, high-level description of the problem; your approach to solve it; and any issues you encountered and if/how you managed to solve them. Your notes file will receive 10 points if it meets our expectations and will be marked down otherwise.