Problem Set 1 - Due Tue Sep 14 at 23:59

Reading

The CS111 Problem Set Guide gives an overview of psets, including a detailed description of individual and partner tasks
Lecture 01 slides and notebook
Lab 01
Lecture 02 slides and notebook (You should be able to start this problem set after finishing lab 1, but material from this lecture may also be helpful.)
Our CS 111 Code Style Guide describes rules for Python coding style that you should follow.
The Turtle Functions Reference has a quick summary of all of the turtle and turtleBeads functions you will need for task 2.
Think Python, Chapter 1, Think Python, Chapter 2, and Think Python, Chapter 3 (just section 3.1).
If you prefer an audio format, our podcast The Path to Programming has episodes for this week on What is Programming?, Learning Strategies, and Problem-Solving Strategies.

Tasks

The instructions for each task and their specific requirements are laid out on the following pages:

Task 0: How to Ask Questions — Familiarize yourself with our mechanism for asking questions about the class and the problem sets.
Task 1: Custom Scene — Learn how to use turtle graphics to draw a picture. For this problem, having a partner is optional but recommended.

About this Problem Set

This problem set will give you practice with basic Python interactive programs as well as with creating images with the turtle and turtleBeads modules. You are ready for Task 0 immediately. You will be ready for task 1 after the first lab and/or the second lecture.

If you want to find a partner to work with for this problem set, use this Google Sheet to do so.

Notes

Each task has a rubric which you should use as a checklist to determine whether you have completed the task.
Reminder: Collaboration and honor code: you can talk with other individuals and teams about high-level problem-solving strategies, but you cannot share any code with anyone except your partner when working on a partner problem.
If you are not going to be able to get everything done before the deadline, you may take a 24-hour extension on this problem set, no questions asked. To do so, you must click the "Take extension" button for this problem set in the Potluck Server before the deadline has passed. If it is close to the deadline and you don't know if you'll make it in time, consider taking the extension now, and then turning in your work. If you take an extension you will not receive feedback until the extended deadline has passed; note that the deadline for revisions does not change when you take an extension, so this gives you less time to revise your work.
The CS111 Problem Set Guide gives an overview of psets, including a detailed description of individual and partner tasks.
Follow the practices discussed in our CS111 Code Style Guide.
When you're done with the tasks follow the submission instructions to submit your pset.
All code for this assignment is available in the ps01 folder in the cs111/download directory within your cs server account.
If you are stuck, consult the PS01 FAQ -- it covers the most common issues students encounter when working on PS01. Note that this semester, the part about the "Time Profiler Task" will be relevant to problem set 2, not problem set 1.
We will show you how to access the starter code for this problem set during Lab 1.

Time Estimate

To help you plan how long you need to spend on this problem set, we have some guidelines based on how long students spent on these tasks last semester (please fill out your time estimates to help students in future semesters). Note that this semester, due to the large number of new tasks, these numbers are often just estimates.

When you've been working on a task for about 2 hours, you should evaluate whether you are making efficient progress, and make use of some of the class resources available to you, like help-room hours or office hours. If you've been working on one task for 3 hours and still have a ways to go, you should definitely get some help with it.

The entire problem set will probably take you something like 2.5–4 hours of programming, plus another half hour to hour of reading, although some students take more or less time than that.

How to turn in this Problem Set

In the turtle scene task you will take a screenshot of your scene, which you will submit in addition to your code.

For each team, one screenshot should be uploaded to this shared google drive folder:
1. Take a screenshot of your graphics scene (screenshot instructions here).
2. RENAME your screenshot with a short, unique descriptive name that begins with your CS account names. For example, ww16_astracks_underwaterMonkey.jpg.
3. Drag your properly named screenshot into the shared google drive folder by Tue Sep 14 at 23:59.
Upload each of your task files via the Potluck server by the deadline ( Tue Sep 14 at 23:59). Click on "Browse..." for the task that you're submitting, then once you've chosen your file, enter your time estimate and click on "Submit task". In the file you're submitting, remember to fill in the authors (including you and your partner if you worked with a partner), the names of people you consulted (other than your partner), the date, and the file's purpose.
- For the turtleScene task, each team member must submit their final scene.py file. It is not sufficient for your teammate to submit this task, you must both submit it independently, or you will not get credit.
Double-check the status of your submitted tasks (you may have to wait a minute or two after uploading). The server will identify any serious problems with your submission, and you should fix these. In general, always make sure that your task files run without errors in Thonny before submitting them. Note that only major errors are identified at submission time: your actual grade will not be available until the problem set is due.
Failure to submit a code file before the deadline will result in zero credit for that code on ps01. (If you do get a zero, you may always take advantage of the revision period to get a better score).
Note that you can submit as many times as you like, and we will only grade the last version you submit before the deadline, so it's a good idea to submit several times as you work on the assignment as a backup in case you accidentally lose your work: we can help you recover a file that you've submitted to the server.
If you encounter any trouble submitting via the Potluck server, please email Peter Mawhorter with a copy of the files you're trying so submit so that we have a record of your submission if the submission server is running into issues.