ap computer science homework help

ap computer science homework help

A Comprehensive Guide to AP Computer Science: Homework Help and Study Tips

1. Introduction to AP Computer Science

To begin with, what is computer science? Many different people will all say different things, but most will all agree that computer science is the study of computers. That is true, but saying that computer science is the study of computers is not sufficient enough to convey the wealth of the field. It is a science which helps make scientific changes in maker’s life. It is a really fascinating subject which is like magic. While learning to program or working with hardware, it is likely that at one point in time somebody stopped to ask the question “What can you do with computer science?” These students were effectively asking something along the lines of why should we study computer science, or what are the uses of computer science. It is not only a science, but also a very important field for our life (life has certainly become so much easier today because of computers’ understanding). Computer science is mainly about taking fun parts of life and asking questions like: what is a computer? What is inside a computer? How can I write a program? What language can I use? What is the meaning of this circuit? The answers provide lots of rewarding experiences. It mainly encourages very critical and analytical thinking throughout our entire course (development of the complete course).

In high schools around the U.S., many students in their junior or senior year will take an AP Computer Science A course. This course is designed to provide students with many opportunities to explore the subject of computer science and to build the knowledge and practical skills required for college students. This course not only prepares students in a college setting with a diverse knowledge of computer science and mathematics, but it also is recognized in college applications, giving prospective students a leg up from the competition.

2. Effective Homework Strategies

Read over the project and analyze it. Make sure you understand the requirements and the expected output. You will not be able to program something if you don’t understand what it’s supposed to look like. In terms of analyzing, you should think about the requirements and possible classes that you might want to use. You should think about the variations: if your program requires you to find the shortest path between two points, what variations do you have to accommodate, i.e. the path that is cheapest, the path with the least turns, etc. With this in mind, divide the project into milestones and set deadlines for yourself for each milestone. In general, finish the project in increments, rather than all at once. This is an extraordinarily valuable skill that will save you from all-nighters full of non-functional code.

Completing homework in any class can be frustrating and time-consuming, but doing so in a programming class is even more so. It’s much more difficult to skim over a concept or have someone reread a programming problem for you than it is for history or math problems. In addition, CS classes in particular attract a fair amount of procrastinators who, realizing that they haven’t started until the night before it’s due, try to finish their program at 3am and wonder why it’s not working. The principles in this section apply not only to programming assignments but also to studying for tests. This is probably a good time to mention that it is absolutely essential that you start your programs early and incrementally add on to them.

3. Key Concepts and Problem Solving Techniques

Problem solving: AP Computer Science teachers know that their students are capable of writing complex and reliable algorithms, but also have seen them take shortcuts which sacrifice understandability and reliability. There are several challenges which you need to be aware of. First, you will have to recognize when a problem requires a complex solution and when the problem is simple enough that with modest modifications to the basic solution, a correct answer can be obtained. Secondly, you must be able to deal with potential problems that you just ignore, which occur when people write code without fully understanding the problem.

Use a consistent step-by-step problem solution technique: When you see a developmental defect in your designs, consider whether it results from a problem in the design process. A disciplined process like ours can help in three ways. First, it helps you in specifying the desired behavior clearly. Second, it encourages you to use abstractions to hide efficiencies. Thirdly, it forces you to think about your solution in a highly granular way, thereby leading to designs in which functions or classes are nearly exclusively complementary.

Using abstraction: Judging what is essential to solving a problem and what can be done without is a frequent cause of problems that students encounter. Algorithms are like recipes, each recipe is a different size and more important each recipe is used for only one type of dish. In order to improve in using design recipes, two approaches that you can use are to consider the relationships between the types which are used in the solution, and second, reflect on the knowledge that you are using and why you are using it.

4. Resources for Further Study

First, you should become familiar with the directive College Board publishes that contains the course description and exam specifications for the AP Computer Science A Exam. Before taking the exam, students should be familiar with the course material designated within the directive. Our AP Computer Science help section is designed to help students understand the basic concepts, principles, and mechanisms of computer science. The resources provided here are designed to complement the concepts covered and tested on the AP Computer Science A exam as detailed by the College Board. Note that we provide not just the information presented in your textbook, but also conceptual understanding, additional sample exam questions, interactive quizzes, and cumulative exams that cover all of the topics found on the exam. In order to be able to comprehensively understand and master the material, students will generally need to also read and master a college-level introductory computer science book. If you are uncomfortable with your textbook or simply cannot find time to read the text, getting an additional book may be a wise investment. Textbooks contain definitions, examples, and are structured in the way the author intends to present the information in a cumulative fashion. These are two additional textbooks we believe convey the basic concepts of AP Computer Science well to students.

To supplement our tutoring assistance, we have composed a selection of resources that students may find helpful in learning AP Computer Science. As with any subject-specific course or exam, individual preparation and study outside of the classroom is critical to success in AP Computer Science. Use these resources as study aids to supplement your learning. Note that the resources presented on this page are ones that we think are generally helpful for students. This page is not intended to be comprehensive. Your teacher may have his or her own recommendations with respect to books or resources. Third-party resources mentioned are also for informational purposes and do not constitute recommendations or endorsements by us. We would also appreciate any feedback, corrections, and suggestions for further recommendations on our Contact Us page, as the resources on this website are always being expanded and updated.

5. Conclusion and Recap

Now we know many more things. We now know about the multiple uses of systematic problem solving. We also know that computer science is the study of using computers to solve problems. We haven’t talked about computer science without using computers, though. We also know that the science and what it is used for are different. In particular, we know that programming is not computer science. We know that the programming language is not the underlying computer science concept, either. How programs communicate is the key computer science concept. There is so much programming in the AP Computer Science syllabus because programming is a great way to learn new computer science concepts, again and again. We use Java because it is the language required for the AP CS A exam. However, if we found a better language that matched our syllabus at some point, we could use that language.

Recap

You’ve learned that the most important concepts of computer science are problem solving and program concepts, abstraction, programming language, map and territory are all important. The Java programming language has features that other languages may or may not have. Text-based programming is the key to our introduction, yet we’ve learned about websites, games, users, graphics, and music. Drawing on other people’s work, creating, and many forms of data manipulation. All of our programming is in Java. The College Board has described high-level principles of how they would expect a good AP Computer Science course to be taught. Their description formed the course and exam requirements for AP Computer Science A. You can find the current course and exam description by checking out their website. It is with real-time feedback, self-study, a couple of good textbooks, and plenty of use of the AP Computer Science web resources, it will be with you soon.

Here are the main reasons why we learn computer science in general, and AP Computer Science in particular. A computer science degree will provide you with career-specific skills that make you very marketable. It also provides a problem-solving skill set that can be used for any field, and they offer a lot of variety. Computer professionals also earn more than average and have lucrative and growing job opportunities. And finally, because it’s useful to know how computers and programs work.

Conclusion