Assessment Tool
Lecture 11: Complex Conditions
Content Tested: Tracing variable values and evaluating complex conditions
Lecture Content:
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Complex conditions
-
Boolean operators
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Negating a condition
-
Truth tables
-
DeMorgan's laws
Goals:
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Develop ability to apply principles and generalizations already learned
to new problems and situations
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Develop problem-solving skills
-
Develop appropriate study skills, strategies, and habits
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Improve mathematical skills
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Prepare for transfer or graduate study
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Learn techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in this subject
Assessment Technique: Documented Problem Solutions
Purpose:
Instructors can find out how students trace code and evaluate complex conditions.
Activity:
In your group please state the values of the variables a, b,
and c after executing the following code. Also, please document
how you are tracing the code and keeping track of the variables.
A possible way to keep track of this information is to use a table that
lists the values of each variable for each iteration through the loop.
Remember: getting an answer in this activity is not as important
as showing your work to arrive at your solution.
#define TRUE 1
#define FALSE 0
.
.
.
/* in a function */
int a, b, c;
a = TRUE;
b = 6;
c = 8;
while ((!a) || ((b > 2) && (c <= 12))){
if (a){
c = b * 2;
}
else{
b = c - 7;
}
a = (!a);
}
Possible Solution
| Loop Iteration |
a |
b |
c |
| before loop |
1 |
6 |
8 |
| 1st |
0 |
6 |
12 |
| 2nd |
1 |
5 |
12 |
| 3rd |
0 |
5 |
10 |
| 4th |
1 |
3 |
10 |
| 5th |
0 |
3 |
6 |
| 6th |
1 |
-1 |
6 |
The values of a, b, and c are the following:
a: 1
b: -1
c: 6
Possible Uses of Activity:
-
Instead of having students work in groups initially, encourage them to
find a documented solution of their own and compare their solution with
1 or 2 other members of the class.
-
Give each group time to work on the problem and then go through the code
and variable contents as a class.