Assignment 4
Summary of Instructions and Overview
Note Read the instructions carefully and follow them exactly
Assignment Weight As outlined in the syllabus, this assignment is worth 5% of your final grade
Due Date This assignment is due 8am on Monday, Nov 20, 2017
Important
As outlined in the syllabus, late submissions will not be accepted.
Any Python files with syntax errors will automatically be excluded from grading. Be sure to test
your code before you submit it.
For all functions, make sure you’ve written good docstrings that include type contract, function
description and the preconditions if any.
This is an individual assignment. Please review the Plagiarism and Academic Integrity policy
presented in the first class, i.e. read in detail pages 15 −19 of course outline. You can find that file on
Brightspace under Course Information. While at it, also review Course Policies on pages 13 and 14.
The goal of this assignment is to learn and practice the concepts covered thus far. In particular you will get more practice
with (2D) lists and functions. For one of the functions you will also need to learn how to prevent syntax errors i.e. crashes by
learning about try/except concept for handling exceptions. Given the goals of this assignment, you cannot user: dictionaries,
sets, deque, bisect module. You can though, and in fact should, use .sort or sorted functions.
As always, you can make multiple submissions, but only the last submission before the deadline will be graded.
For this assignment, you only need to submit one file, called a4_xxxxxx.py, where you changed xxxxxx to your student
number. (No need to submit a4_xxxxxx.txt as proof that you tested your function. By now we trust that you learnt and
understand the need and importance for testing your functions and code in general).
For this assignment, I provided you with starter code in file called a4_xxxxxx.py. Begin by replacing xxxxxx in the file
name with your student number. Then open the file. Your solution (code) for the assignment must go into that file in the
clearly indicated spaces. The file has main completely coded for you. Nothing else will go into the mail. It also has some
functions completely precoded for you. Your task will me to code the remaining functions. You are not allowed to delete or
comment-out any parts of the provided code. The only exception to that rule is the keyword pass. Some functions have that
keyword. You can remove it once you are done coding that function. You also must follow the instructions given in comments
and implied by docstrings. You are however allowed to add your own additional (helper) functions. In, fact you should add at
least one more function.
I have provided 5 text files to test and debug your code with as explained in the next section.
As always, your program must run without syntax errors. In particular, when grading your assignment, TAs will first open
your file a4_xxxxxx.py with IDLE and press Run Module. If pressing Run Module causes any syntax error, the grade for the
assignment becomes zero. Furthermore, for each function whose code is missing, I have provided below one or more tests to test
your functions with. To obtain a partial mark for these function your solutions may not necessarily give the correct answer on
these tests. But if your function gives any kind of Python error when run on the tests provided, that function will be marked
with zero points. Finally, each function has to be documented with docstrings.
There is also a4-more-example-runs.txt file, giving additional example runs to those given in the next section. The
behaviour of all example runs below and in a4-more-example-runs.txt should be considered as an implied requirement for
the assignment – as always.
Using global variables inside of functions is not allowed. If you do not know what that means, for now, interpret this to
mean that inside of your functions you can only use variables that are created in that function. For example, the following
code fragment would not be allowed, since variable xis not a parameter of function a_times(a) nor is it a variable created in
function a_times(a). It is a global variable created outside of all functions.
def a_times(a):
result=x*a
return result
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