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Joined: Feb 2010
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For example, what if you want to write a program to find the GCD of two positive integers (in terms of arithmetic operations and inequalities, not just using a pre-made GCD subroutine). Is Scratch good for that? It can do it. There is a Scratch program to compute the GCD at http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1518558/ , where the "See inside" button leads you to the code. At age 10 my son wrote a Scratch program to find prime numbers.
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Joined: Feb 2013
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For example, what if you want to write a program to find the GCD of two positive integers (in terms of arithmetic operations and inequalities, not just using a pre-made GCD subroutine). Is Scratch good for that? It can do it. There is a Scratch program to compute the GCD at http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1518558/ , where the "See inside" button leads you to the code. At age 10 my son wrote a Scratch program to find prime numbers. Okay the "See inside" button let's me see what it looks like. I get it now. ETA: Although that programmer should learn about Euclid's Algorithm, especially since there is a preprogrammed binary operation "mod" which does 90% of the work on its own.
Last edited by 22B; 10/20/14 12:20 PM.
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Joined: Feb 2010
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Nobel Laureate William Sharpe "was one of the originators of the capital asset pricing model [and] created the Sharpe ratio for risk-adjusted investment performance analysis" (Wikipedia). He is working on free "Retirement Income Scenarios" software to simulate spending strategies in retirement, in Scratch, much to my surprise. He explains Why Scratch? as follows: As indicated in the previous blog, I am developing a suite of software dealing with retirement income scenarios using the Scratch programming language. Those who know something about Scratch may consider this a strange choice. Here I'll try to show why I consider it well suited for this project.
I have been writing computer programs for over fifty years. My PhD dissertation included (in addition to an early version of the Capital Asset Pricing Model) the description of an algorithm for solving a special class of portfolio optimization problems and a program for implementing it. Since then I have written programs in a variety of languages. I published the first commercial book on the BASIC language and wrote an interpretive compiler to implement it when I was at the University of Washington. For my own research I now use Matlab, a scientific programming language. For years I used the standard Matlab constructs but now rely on the more recently added object-oriented capabilities. I love to program – there is much gratification when a program does what you intended it to do -- more than enough to offset the frustration when it doesn't.
I also feel very strongly that everyone should be exposed to programming as part of the curriculum in Junior High School and/or High School. The benefits are many. Students can learn to think logically, divide complex tasks into a series of sub-tasks, test ideas rigorously, and explore aspects of mathematics, statistics and many other fields by doing experiments. They can also gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which computers, tablets, phones, televisions, movies and many things we encounter in our daily lives do what they do. Most people now spend hours every day interacting with technology but in an important sense they are interacting with programs. One hears “the computer did such and so” but it would be more accurate to say that a program made the computer do it.
Most important, as the Scratch team emphasizes, one can experiment and be creative when writing programs – far more so than when using programs written by others.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Another route: The Arduino chip can be purchased in a starter kit that comes with simple programs that can be modified as a way to start understanding code. It's fun because it DOES things (can control lights or sounds or motors). This one was pretty good (though a few of the parts were cheap and broke): http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Ultim...424355902&sr=8-2&keywords=vilros+arduinoIt's the availability of sample, modifiable code that made this workable for us. I imagine Raspberry Pi is similar; I haven't investigated it. My kids also like Lightbot, which teaches about algorithms through a game. http://lightbot.com/hocflash.html
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Joined: Apr 2012
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There is a MOOC from Harvey Mudd called "Programming in Scratch" that started earlier this month. DD7 is not finding it easy, but she's enjoying it.
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Joined: Mar 2013
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The Raspberry Pi kits generally come with a version of Debian Linux (raspbian) and a virtual X-windows desktop that includes Scratch and Python IDEs.
There is a P2 now that is reputed to be 5-6 times faster than the B+ too but it is hard to get for the sticker price due to being so new.
In addition to the Pi, a USB keyboard and a monitor that will accept an HDMI cable (or get adaptor) is basically all one needs to get started. The board has an Ethernet port and a wireless USB dongle will cost about $10.
My DD will finish her Algebra one class with AoPS at the end month and start a Python class in March. She will be using the Pi that she got for Christmas to do this.
Last edited by madeinuk; 02/19/15 09:24 AM.
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Joined: Jul 2013
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Madeinuk, Does your DD do all of the challenge problems?
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Joined: Mar 2013
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She starts the class on March 11 so I do not know yet for the Python.
For the pre algebra and algebra 1 classes she has had solutions for all of the challenge problems so far but doesn't always get the full 8 points (7 for correct answer + 1 for style). One week she had a solution but did not enter it due to family obligations/house guests which also showed her the consequences of not doing all of her work on time (a controlled micro failure). Overall, I think she has kept her head well above water on this.
I am very happy with the AoPS approach so far!
Last edited by madeinuk; 02/26/15 06:46 AM.
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Oh okay.. My DD11 is doing Aops but not the class, just the book, videos, and alcumus. I had her doing all of the challenge problems, but recently started having her doing just half of them. I have been trying to figure out if that is a mistake. she does all of the exercises and review problems
Last edited by Chana; 02/26/15 09:03 PM.
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Joined: Oct 2014
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Chana, with AoPS I think you can take it as deep as you want - but there's a lot of depth and little repetition in those challenge problems at the end of each chapter. They're worth doing if time is not a factor; the Alcumus questions are comparatively more basic.
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