Programming Fail

**salty99** · 04-23-10, 02:51 PM

so in my CS122 class, the lass few weeks we've been learning the basics of C++, you know, printing things, taking inputs, file manipulation, for/while loops, data types and operators...the basics. So today my professor busts out sorting algorithms and big O notation... quite a jump don't you think? this class is the first exposure most people have ever had to programming.

**Imisnew2** · 04-23-10, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by salty99

so in my CS122 class, the lass few weeks we've been learning the basics of C++, you know, printing things, taking inputs, file manipulation, for/while loops, data types and operators...the basics. So today my professor busts out sorting algorithms and big O notation... quite a jump don't you think? this class is the first exposure most people have ever had to programming.

Lol.
Big-O is a hard concept to grasp fully, but I don't think the definition is that hard to understand:
The worst performance an algorithm can do.

But still... I wasn't intro'd to it until my third programming class... but I still knew that the longer a loop ran, the more time it took :P.
Btw, I was intro'd to sorting algorithms in my first class (albeit it was just bubble sort).

And I basically just had a year of algorithms... 1/2 for in-memory, and the other 1/2 for on disk.

**sickwookie** · 04-23-10, 04:09 PM

It is pretty standard stuff to see in an early CS class. Most CS programs also require a math like calculus which will get you familiar with limits and such. It is the same idea really.

**CumminsTurbo** · 04-23-10, 07:05 PM

Big O... as in orgasm? :9

**Consultant** · 04-23-10, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by CumminsTurbo

Big O... as in orgasm? :9

Says the guy named CumminsTurbo...

**CumminsTurbo** · 04-23-10, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by Consultant

Says the guy named CumminsTurbo...

Well as the old diesel saying goes "I'd rather be Cummin' than Strokin'"

**Kanati** · 04-23-10, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by CumminsTurbo

Big O... as in orgasm? :9

That would be Big O-Face programming. Totally different.

**Angelforge** · 04-24-10, 12:18 AM

I hated Big-O notation. I had to teach it to myself (My teacher wasn't a teacher. She was just in the room grading tests and assigning homework without actually going over stuff) and I really struggled. I still don't really understand how to find the Big-O notation of a piece of code.

Sorting algorithms are really, really enjoyable. Especially when you really get into them and figure out how they work and how useful they are. Definitely one of my favorite parts of my Comp Sci AB class last year. That and designing and implementing a large program. That was fun.