Connecting with Computer Science Chapter 12 Review: Chapter Summary: Problem solving is inevitable, and learning how to it well is a skill you can use it in every area of your life Remember that debugging can be fun, especially for people who enjoy mysteries and puzzles Thin of it as a mental game Develop a positive mindset and stay calm Categorizing bugs in a hierarchy from easiest to most complex to solve helps you determine what kind of bug you have found and how difficult it will be to correct Software problems can be difficult to solve for a number of reasons, but these reasons are not excuses for poor programming practices Careless programming can have a bigger impact than just causing an error when a program runs Some general problem-solving approaches that can be applied to almost any problem are setting up straw man arguments, using rules of thumb (heuristics) and following a procedure Computing professionals use the scientific method to solve problems: observing the problem, prospecting a theory, testing the theory and repeating these steps The Thirteen I’s are useful guidelines for what you should remember when debugging Key Terms: Breaking Point (417) Debugging (413) Scientific Method (412) A stop command inserted to prevent the program from executing past that point The process of finding and fixing problems in a program A basic approach to problem solving, consisting of four steps: observe, theorize, test &repeat Test Yourself: 1.) What are some less quantified problem-solving approaches that have been discovered in studies since the 1970s? Intuition and Emotion 2.) Describe the four techniques for developing the right mindset for solving problems Take a deep breath, remain calm and devise a strategy Boast aloud and visualize or write down positive results Think positively about the process, not negatively Be patient Debugging takes time 3.) Which type of bug is the most difficult to find and fix? Architecture bugs are the most difficult to fix 4.) Which type of bug is the easiest to find and fix? Coding bugs are usually the easiest to find 5.) Explain how logic bugs and bad data bugs are related The program is not robust enough to handle anything other the expected input Both out-ofbounds memory errors 6.) Explain how compatibility, architecture and coding bugs are related They are usually caused by not understanding platforms thoroughly 7.) Describe some problem-solving approaches you can use for any problem Straw man argument: With this method you build up a theory of the problem (the straw man) with the idea that it will likely be knocked down It helps you communicate issues, find weak points and throw away what does not work 8.) What are the steps in the scientific method? Observe what is happening Propose a theory for why it is happening Test the theory Repeat steps to until the theory is strong enough to stand on its own 9.) Explain what “I will own the problem” means That you are responsible for solving problems in the code you write 10.) Describe the approach of interactive program development, and explain its benefits Writing a program component then debugging it With this approach you need to work out a framework that indicates where you will place components after you have written them This method can save you a lot of debugging time Interactive program development has another benefit; Giving you a baseline for debugging 11.) What is one reason for having more than one version of a program? Any changes you make to one you will always have a default program to start from You will always have a backup Comparisons 12.) What code technique is useful with continual approximation? Breakpoints (417) 13.) List three different forms in which you can find a manual for help in debugging Help pages for the programming language Reference web sites, documentation for borrowed code Online discussion boards, blogs, wiki posts 14.) What information should you include in a debugging log? Changes you made, program versions, results of your changes, and even details such as date, time, filename and so on 15.) What is the main reason for asking three questions after you have found the cause of a bug and fixed it To make sure you are fixing the underlying cause of the problem, not just the symptoms and to prevent the problem from happening again in the current program or in future programs ... you will always have a default program to start from You will always have a backup Comparisons 12. ) What code technique is useful with continual approximation? Breakpoints (417) 13.) List three