CS170: Programming for the World Around Us - Deck of Cards (100 Points)

Assignment Goals

The goals of this assignment are:
  1. To use iteration to create a nested loop
  2. To write conditionals using loop counter variables
  3. To establish proper ranges for for loop counters

The Assignment

In this lab, we will practice writing for loops using the range function to iterate over decks of cards, and then use a loop to simulate the effects of monthly credit card debt.

What to Do

Part 1: Card Deck

The range function takes two forms:

  • range(N): generates all values from 0 to N-1
  • range(start, end): generates all values from start to end-1

Write a for loop that loops 4 times over a variable called i. Inside this loop, loop from all values between 1 and 14 (inclusive) over a variable called j.

Within the inner loop, check the value of i. If it is 0, set a suit variable to Clubs. Do this for each of the remaining values, for Hearts, Diamonds, and Spades.

Then, check the value of j. If it is 11, set a variable card to Jack. Similarly, set card to Queen for 12, King for 13, and Ace for 14. If the value is anything else, just set card to that value (the numeric card value).

Finally, print the value of the card. When you run this program, you should see all 52 cards in the “deck.”

Part 2: Credit Card Debt Simulator

In a separate program, loop over each of 12 months. Within each simulated month, ask the user how much money they paid off by the due date, and subtract this from their prior balance.

Next, if their balance is greater than 0, charge an interest rate of 6% to their original balance (not the amount after making the payment! Be careful not to subtract from the balance right away so that you maintain their current balance, or save the old balance in a separate variable).

Then, ask them how much money they spent on their credit card. Add this value to their running balance, and repeat.

After the loop has ended, print out the total amount they spent over the 12 months, and how much money they paid back in interest. You’ll need additional variables to keep track of these running totals in your loop!

What to Turn In

When you’re done, write a README for your project, and save all your files, before exporting your project to ZIP. In your README, answer any bolded questions presented on this page. In addition, write a few paragraphs describing what you did, how you did it, and how to use your program. If your program requires the user to type something in, describe that here. If you wrote functions to help solve your problem, what are they, and what do they do? Imagine that you are giving your program to another student in the class, and you want to explain to them how to use it. What would you tell them? Imagine also that another student had given you the functions that you wrote for your program: what would you have wished that you knew about how to call those functions?

Submission

In your submission, please include answers to any questions asked on the assignment page in your README file. If you wrote code as part of this assignment, please describe your design, approach, and implementation in your README file as well. Finally, include answers to the following questions:
  • Describe what you did, how you did it, what challenges you encountered, and how you solved them.
  • Please answer any questions found throughout the narrative of this assignment.
  • If collaboration with a buddy was permitted, did you work with a buddy on this assignment? If so, who? If not, do you certify that this submission represents your own original work?
  • Please identify any and all portions of your submission that were not originally written by you (for example, code originally written by your buddy, or anything taken or adapted from a non-classroom resource). It is always OK to use your textbook and instructor notes; however, you are certifying that any portions not designated as coming from an outside person or source are your own original work.
  • Approximately how many hours it took you to finish this assignment (I will not judge you for this at all...I am simply using it to gauge if the assignments are too easy or hard)?
  • Your overall impression of the assignment. Did you love it, hate it, or were you neutral? One word answers are fine, but if you have any suggestions for the future let me know.
  • Using the grading specifications on this page, discuss briefly the grade you would give yourself and why. Discuss each item in the grading specification.
  • Any other concerns that you have. For instance, if you have a bug that you were unable to solve but you made progress, write that here. The more you articulate the problem the more partial credit you will receive (it is fine to leave this blank).

Assignment Rubric

Description Pre-Emerging (< 50%) Beginning (50%) Progressing (85%) Proficient (100%)
Algorithm Implementation (60%) The algorithm fails on the test inputs due to major issues, or the program fails to compile and/or run The algorithm fails on the test inputs due to one or more minor issues The algorithm is implemented to solve the problem correctly according to given test inputs, but would fail if executed in a general case due to a minor issue or omission in the algorithm design or implementation A reasonable algorithm is implemented to solve the problem which correctly solves the problem according to the given test inputs, and would be reasonably expected to solve the problem in the general case
Code Quality and Documentation (30%) Code commenting and structure are absent, or code structure departs significantly from best practice, and/or the code departs significantly from the style guide Code commenting and structure is limited in ways that reduce the readability of the program, and/or there are minor departures from the style guide Code documentation is present that re-states the explicit code definitions, and/or code is written that mostly adheres to the style guide Code is documented at non-trivial points in a manner that enhances the readability of the program, and code is written according to the style guide
Writeup and Submission (10%) An incomplete submission is provided, or the README file submitted is blank The program is submitted, but not according to the directions in one or more ways (for example, because it is lacking a readme writeup or missing answers to written questions) The program is submitted according to the directions with a minor omission or correction needed, including a readme writeup describing the solution and answering nearly all questions posed in the instructions The program is submitted according to the directions, including a readme writeup describing the solution and answering all questions posed in the instructions

Please refer to the Style Guide for code quality examples and guidelines.