D. Exit Interview
2010
The Talking Points that conclude each section are an important part of this book's message. Here are some follow-up questions to ensure that you agree! Q1.1 What is the difference between model error, measurement error, mathematical error, and roundoff error? Explain. Q1.2 The manipulation of logical expressions that involve AND's, OR's, and NOT's has a strong similarity to the manipulation of arithmetic expressions that involve additions and multiplications. Explain. Q2.1 A programmer working on a geometric problem complains about having to spend a lot of time figuring out how to handle situations near the boundary. Explain. Q2.2 What steps should be followed to avoid making mistakes when designing a loop? Q3.1 How is the big-O notation used to quantify the amount of work associated with a computation? Give examples. Q3.2 What is the difference between an explicit formula and an implicit formula? Q4.1 What does the term “granularity” mean when discussing the quality of a discretization? Q4.2 How can interpolation be used to generate a succession of “equally spaced” colors in between two given colors? Q4.3 Give several examples that illustrate the finiteness of floating point arithmetic. Q5.1 Newton's method for finding a zero of a function f(x) is an iteration that involves tangent lines. Explain with a picture. Q5.2 When is it not advisable to write a function for a well-defined subcomputation? Q5.3 Why is top-down design a valuable programming strategy? Q6.1 Why are functions that generate random numbers referred to as “pseudorandom number generators“? Q6.2 What is a random walk simulation? Q6.3 Give a geometric example that demonstrates the power of repeated averaging.