Problem Set 0: Registration Survey - Summary Answers

CS 200 Class 17 January 2002

1.  Your full name

Joseph Carl Arcidicono, Ashelle Monique Brown, Rachel Mojisola Dada, Grace Deng, Jacques Fournier, Andrew Pierce Hanlin, Lindsey Austin Keppel, Christopher Morrissey, Janita Renee Obie, Shawn O'Hargan, Russell Patrick O'Reagan, Nate Parks, Spencer Alan Stockdale, Jeff Taylor, Richard Wampler, Katie Winstanley, Victor Clay Barringer Yount

2.  Name you want me to call you (spell out phonetically if non-obvious
    how to pronounce)

Joe, Ashelle, Ray, Grace, Jacques, Andy, Lindsey, Chris, Janita, Shawn, Russ, Nate, Spencer, Jeff, Rick, Katie or "Dubya", Clay

5.  Major and year

Majors

Undecided: 5½
Cognitive Science: 4
Media Studies: 2
Econ (1½), Math (1½), East Asian Studies, English, Pre-Commerce

Years

First: 6, Second: 8, Third: 1, Fourth: 2

6.  How did you find out about this class?

COD: 7, People: 6, Other: 4

7.  Why are you taking this class?

My favorite answer: This is my kind of class. I like Computer Science, both in the sense that most people think of it, and in the sense you described to us. The books look cool.

9.  Have you ever written a computer program?  (If not, that's fine.
    Skip to question 12.)

No: 6
Yes: 11

10. What programming languages have you used and how much?

8 people have used C++, 4 have used BASIC, 3 have used Pascal, 3 have used Java.

Several mentioned HTML, but its not really a programming language by my definition since it does not have any control flow (that is, you cannot jump around so you cannot use it to describe most interesting computations; you are just describing a document in a precise way).

One mentioned "Postage Stamp", but I have no idea what that is.

2 people have taken CS 101 (there is very little overlap between this course and CS 101), 3 mentioned having some programming in High School.

11. Which is your favorite?

C++: 4, Java: 2, BASIC (VB): 1, Postage Stamp: 1.

12. Where do you prefer to work on assignments that require you to use a
    computer?

At home, apartment, dorm: 12
In lab or library: 3
No Preference: 2

I appraciate the benefits of working at home, but I hope the benefits of having other students nearby and course staff around will convince most of you to work in the public labs instead.

13. Would you work in a public lab if there were staffed lab hours?

YES!, definitely: 2
yes: 6
probably, maybe, sometimes: 5
no: 3

14. If so, which public lab(s) would you prefer to work in?

No real consensus. We will try using Olsson 001 for the first staffed lab hours Sunday.

15. What times and days?

Mostly late afternoons and evenings.

16. Would you prefer to work on assignments alone or with assigned
    partners?

Prefer partners (6), some of each (3), no preference (2), alone (6)

For most of the assignments in this class you will be required to work with a partner.

Unlike Mathematics where almost every important development was done by an individual working alone, most of the important contributions in Computer Science were made by small groups: Eckert and Mauchley (designed ENIAC); Ritchie and Thompson (UNIX operating system); Steele and Sussman (Scheme programming language); Cerf and Kahn (Internet Protocol); Ford-Fulkerson (network flow); Knuth-Morris-Pratt (string matching algorithm); Diffie-Hellman (public key cryptography); Rivest, Shamir and Adelman (RSA encryption); Gates and Allen (BASIC implementation for Altair, not really an important CS contribution); Bricklin and Frankston (VisiCalc, first spreadsheet); and lots more...

17. Would you prefer to have take-home or in-class exams? (All tests
    will be open book and notes.)

Take Home: 12
In class: 3
Don't care: 2

18. What book, movie or music has most changed your life?

Almost Famous
Bible
Cat's Cradle
Chopin, "A Song"
Chopin, Ballade No. 1
"The Color Purple"
Count of Monte Cristo
Ducktales (TV show)
Enders Game
Fleetwood Mac
Orwell's 1984 (2 people mentioned this)
Lord of the Rings book (2 people)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "One Hundred Years of Solitude"
Pay It Forward
"The Power of One"
Requiem for a Dream
Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Salman Rushdie "Midnight's Children"
Schindler's List
The Sun Also Rises
Terminator 2
What Dreams May Come
"Who Moved My Cheese"

19. Anything else you think I should know about you?

We have musicians, poets and a World Croquet Champion in this class.

University of Virginia Department of Computer Science CS 200: Computer Science

David Evans evans@virginia.edu Using these Materials