On 07/10/2010 12:52 PM, zryip theSlug wrote:
Richmond, I'm not sure to appreciated your humor.
However, with less talent and other circumstances, I had probably write
something similar somewhere in the net, so I forgive you for this time.
2010/7/10 Richmond<richmondmathew...@gmail.com>
On 07/10/2010 11:49 AM, Mark Schonewille wrote:
David and Mark,
Yet, repeat for each rules. Whether using arrays is faster than using
regular variables depends on whether your repeat loop is written smartly.
Quite; but that looks a bit like circular logic.
Everytime I have to write some sort of loop I get out the plastic cups and
the beads
and play with them on the floor (preferably with a cup of coffee and some
music)
until I find what I would term the most "economical" way of doing things.
So; prior to writing anything "smartly" one has to work out the 'smartist'
logic;
if you are incredibly good at abstractions you can do that mentally; if not
you
can do it with a pencil and paper, or with cups and beads - whatever works
for you. LEGO is also quite effective.
Then; having worked out one's model; one has to represent it in code.
If one's model has already been worked out (squares and arrows on paper,
cups and beads on the floor, circles and lines on a blackboard) visually it
is, generally, easier to track where things go wrong with one's code by
comparing it with one's physical model.
_______________________________________________
That may appear a joke to you!
HOWEVER: I do often play around with beads and cups on the floor; it really
does help me with conceptualising what I am trying to do on a computer.
About 35 years ago, a brilliant Maths master at my school taught us
MINIFORTRAN
without benefit of a computer (our punch cards were sent to Imperial
College in London
where my cousin Stephen Mathewson:
http://sim.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/6/181 )
organised things. As 13 year old who had never seen a computer, nor had
a clue about logic
his attempt at getting us to understand flow charts ('How to boil an
egg' as far as I remember)
was doomed to failure (perhaps because most of us couldn't boil an egg
to save our lives).
So, this brilliant man, helped us understand with plastic yoghurt pots
and off-cuts of wood from
the woodwork classroom.
My only regret is that I have no way of knowing where the man we called
"Bonehead Barker"
is now, or, even, if he is still alive, so that I can send him a little
something by way of a thank you
for all the help he has given me.
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