spawn wrote:
> but I've been struggling with this for far too long and I'm about to
> start beating my head against the wall.
>
> My assignment seemed simple: create a program that will cacluate the
> running total of user inputs until it hits 100. At 100 it should stop.
> That's not the problem, in fact, that part works. It's the adding
> that isn't working. How can my program add 2 + 7 and come up with 14?
>
> I'm posting my code (so that you may all laugh). If ANYONE has any
> ideas on what I'm doing wrong, I'd appreciate.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> running = True
> goal = 100
>
> # subtotal = 0
> # running_total = subtotal + guess
>
> while running:
> guess = int(raw_input('Enter an integer that I can use to add : '))
> subtotal = guess
>
> while running:
> guess = int(raw_input('I\'ll need another number : '))
> running_total = guess + subtotal
> print running_total
>
> if running_total == goal:
> print 'Congratulations! You\'re done.'
>
> elif running_total > goal:
> print 'That\'s a good number, but too high. Try again.'
>
> print 'Done'
>
> --------------------------
>
> I tried adding an additional "while" statement to capture the second
> number, but it didn't seem to solve my problem. Help!
>
>
Dear anonymous student,
Once upon a time programmers did things like this:
BEGIN
|
-------------->|<-------------------------------------
| | |
| catch input |
| | |
| input type valid? - prompt for correct input --|
| + |
| input too large? + --- prompt for new input --
| -
| add to running total
| |
| status report
| |
-- - running total >= max?
+
report done
|
END
It was called a flow chart. Flow charts could be translated directly
into machine code written in assembly languages which had labels, tests
and jumps as the only flow-control constructs. When structured
programming introduced for and while loops they internalized labeling
and jumping. That was a great convenience. Flow-charting became rather
obsolete because the one-to-one correspondence between flow chart and
code was largely lost.
I still find flow charting useful for conceptualizing a system of
logical states too complex for my intuition. Everybody's intuition has a
limit. Your homework solution shows that the assignment exceeds yours.
So my suggestion is that you use the flow chart, like this:
def homework ():
# Local functions. (I won't do those for you.)
def explain_rules ():
def check_type (r):
def explain_type ():
def check_size (r):
def explain_max_size ():
def report_status (rt):
def report_done ():
# Main function
GOAL = 100 # BEGIN
MAX_INPUT = 20 # |
running_total = 0 # |
# |
explain_rules () # |
# |
while 1: #
-------------->|<-------------------------------------
# |
| |
response = raw_input ('Enter a number > ') # |
catch input |
# |
| |
if check_type (response) == False: # | input
type valid? - prompt for correct input --|
explain_type () # |
+ |
continue # |
| |
# |
| |
if check_size (response) == False: # | input
too large? + --- prompt for new input --
explain_max_size () # | -
continue # | |
# | |
running_total += int (response) # | add to
running total
report_status (running_total) # |
status report
# | |
if running_total >= GOAL: # -- - running
total >= max?
break # +
# |
report_done () #
report done
# |
#? return (whatever) # END
Frederic
(... inviting you to sign your posts and to let me know the grade your
teacher gives you for completing the local functions.)
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