CS 1371 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - Spring 2007
General Questions
...about announcements...
Where do I find all CS 1371 Announcements?
How often do I have to read the announcements?
...about getting help...
Where do I get help?
What is my TA's email?
What's the right way to email a professor or TA?
...about TA office hours...
Do TAs have office hours?
When and where are the STA office hours?
...about the help desk...
What is the help desk?
How should I ask questions at the help desk?
Where is the help desk?
When is the help desk open?
Which TAs are there at ??? time?
..about newsgroups...
Tell me about newsgroups.
How should I ask questions on the newsgroups?
What is the proper format for subject lines when posting?
How do I cancel a post?
...about Matlab...
Does it matter if I use MATLAB Version 6.0 instead of Version 7?
Why do my variables not update when I step through code while debugging in the Student Version of MATLAB?
...about Webwork...
Why do I get a security certificate warning?
...about the FAQ...
How often do I need to read the FAQ?
How do I get something added to the FAQ?
Homework Related Questions
What is wrong with my homework when I click on the link in Internet Explorer?
When we submit homework, do we maintain the file name such as "sp07cs1371-hw1" for the first homework?
Is it ok to have a disp() in a function, even if it is only used to notify the user of an error?
Can you write a function that returns nothing?
Will solutions be posted to the homeworks?
Is it okay to use iteration in addition to recursion on problems in which it says we must use recursion?
What is the correct way to submit files to Webwork?
Homework 1 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 2 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 3 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 4 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 5 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 6 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 7 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 8 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 9 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 10 FAQ - Spring 2007
Homework 11 FAQ - Spring 2007
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Lab Related Questions
Lab 1 FAQ - Spring 2007
Lab 2 FAQ - Spring 2007
Lab 3 FAQ - Spring 2007
Back to top FAQ
Test Review Related Questions
Test 1 Review FAQ - Spring 2007
Test 1 Practice Test FAQ - Spring 2007
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Where do I find all CS 1371 Announcements?
All students in CS 1371 should read the announcements daily at:
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2007/cs1371_spring/announcements.htm
These are mirrored on the Webwork homepage too.
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How often do I have to read the announcements?
Daily.
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Where do I get help?
First go to lecture and recitation. If you need extra help try going to the help desk or checking or posting to the newsgroups.
You can also email your TA. We prefer that you only do this if you have to include code though. Otherwise it is better to post the question to the newsgroup so that everyone can benefit. Make sure you read the FAQ about the proper way to email your TA first!
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What is my TA's email?
You can find your TAs and their emails here. Make sure you read the FAQ about the proper way to email your TA first! Also see the FAQ about the proper places to get help.
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What's the right way to email a professor or TA?
From the syllabus:
"You are encouraged to conduct all official email correspondence for this course using your official GT email account. This is to protect your privacy. Email with HTML formatting should be avoided. Email from outside sources such as gmail, hotmail, yahoo, and other personal accounts should also be avoided - many Spam killers automatically reject mail from these accounts. For a quickest response, put CS1371 in the subject of your e-mail."
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Do TAs have office hours?
STAs have office hours. Office hours are for any questions that are not related to the homework including questions about grading. If you have a grading related question, you should go to your section TA. You can also ask your grading TA before or after recitation or in an email. You can find your TAs and their emails here.
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When and where are the STA office hours?
There is a link to that information off of the class web page. You can find it here.
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What is the help desk?
The help desk is a great place to get extra homework help and to ask homework related questions. Try it out! You can find out more by reading the rest of help desk FAQ.
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How should I ask questions at the help desk?
There are a lot of students trying to get help at the help desk and the TAs do their best to help everyone. You can help us, everyone else, and especially yourself by following these guidelines at the help desk:
- Come early! The earlier in the week and the earlier in the day, the better. The help desk is less busy then and you are more likely to get the help and attention you need.
- Read first! Read the homework, the homework FAQ, and the newsgroups before asking questions. Check for updates regularly on the FAQ and the newsgroups too.
- Try something first! Try writing the function header, write out the for/while template or the recursive template, or write down some comments about what you're trying to do. If you at least try first, we will be able to better help you.
- Be prepared with specific questions.
- Don't expect the TAs to do your homework. We can help you understand concepts, but we cannot and will not do your homework for you.
- Be understanding when the help desk is busy. There are a lot of people to help and sometimes you have to wait your turn. Come early if you feel like you are not getting enough individual help.
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Where is the help desk?
The help desk is located in room 347 of the CCB. You'll need to take the elevator to the third floor because the door at the top of the stairs is always locked. Note that CCB (aka the CoC) is the the old computing building, not the new Klaus building. You can find a map of it's location here and you can find a map showing where the elevator is located here: help_desk_map.jpg.
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When is the help desk open?
The help desk is open Monday through Thursday from 2 PM to 8 PM.
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Which TAs are there at ??? time?
You can find that information here.
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Tell me about newsgroups.
Newsgroups are a great way to ask your questions and get them answered. Lab 1 explained how to subscribe to newsgroups and how to use them. If you have questions about the use of newsgroups, please refer back to Lab 1. You should be subscribed to the git.cc.class.cs1371.rec and git.cc.class.cs1371.lab newsgroups for this class. .lab is for questions about the labs and .rec is for everything else. You should read them often and post questions there first before emailing your TA. Don't post any answers to the homework problems though and be sure to prefix your subject line with something like [hw5] so that we know what the post is about.
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How should I ask questions on the newsgroups?
There are a lot of questions on the newsgroups and you can help us, everyone else, and especially yourself by following these guidelines before posting and when looking for answers:
- Use good subject lines. See below for the correct format.
- Read the previous posts (and the homework FAQ) before posting new questions. Lots of bad things happen when someone posts the same or similar question as someone else. Don't post a question that has already been asked. If the first post hasn't been answered, you may reply to the first post to clarify the question and/or state that you also have the same question. If the post has been answered, but not clearly enough, then make a reply post saying so and maybe clarifying the question as well.
- Post early! The earlier in the week and the earlier in the day, the better. Expect that it may take 24 to 48 hours for your question to be answered. If you make a post on Thursday, you will probably still get someone to answer it, but if someone doesn't, it will only be your fault.
- Be specific about your questions.
- Don't post solutions (even if they're incomplete or broken)!
- Don't expect the TAs or someone else to do your homework. We can help you understand concepts, but we cannot and will not do your homework for you.
- Answer questions too!
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What is the proper format for subject lines when posting?
Please use specific subject lines in the following format:
[hw#-prob#]
For instance, the following formats would be great for subject lines:
[hw5-prob1] how do I find cnum for even matrices
[hw5-prob2] how do I set the state for rand
[hw5-prob2] what number do we use to set the state for rand
[hw5-prob3] does the third quartile contain the median
[hw5-prob4] what does the problem want
The following are bad subject lines:
hw5 - prb2 clarification
hw5 q2 clarification
Problem 4, Homework 5
Problem 2, HW5
HW5 - Prob3
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How do I cancel a post?
In Thunderbird highlight the post and press the delete button. In Outlook Express, you highlight the message, go to the message menu and click, "cancel message."
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Does it matter if I use MATLAB Version 6.0 instead of Version 7?
No, all homework should work correctly with V6.0 or later.
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Why do my variables not update when I step through code while debugging in the Student Version of MATLAB?
We discovered today in class that the Student Version of MATLAB does not show the variables updating as you step through code. There is a discussion of this problem under miscellaneous.htm on the class Materials page.
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Why do I get a security certificate warning?
Your browser uses a security certificate to decide whether a site can be trusted to connect using SSL. Webwork requires SSL, but its security certificate was granted by Georgia Tech which is not one of the trusted authorities on most browsers. As a result you have to tell the browser that you trust Georgia Tech by saying to continue to the website anyway.
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How often do I need to read the FAQ?
The FAQ are here to answer your questions; so, read them whenever you have a question. If your question hasn't already been answered and you think a lot of other students will have the same question, try getting it added to the FAQ (see below). You can also try asking your question on the newsgroup if it applies to everyone.
You should check the homework FAQ fairly regularly to see if there is any important information about the current week's homework.
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How do I get something added to the FAQ?
Email your TA and with the question and ask him to get it added to the FAQ.
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What is wrong with my homework when I click on the link in Internet Explorer?
This normally happens in IE (Internet Explorer) because IE does not know what to open a .m file with. To fix this:
Save the homework file to your computer first and then open it with Matlab. In IE you can do this by right-clicking on the homework link and clicking, "Save Target As...." In Firefox you can do this by right-clicking on the homework link and clicking, "Save Link As..."
Note: Firefox will probably ask you whether you want to do this by default.
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When we submit homework, do we maintain the file name such as "sp07cs1371-hw1" for the first homework?
No, homework files should never contain punctuation other than the period ("."). The rest is appended by WebWork. It should always be named: hw<#>.m
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Is it ok to have a disp() in a function, even if it is only used to notify the user of an error?
No, use the error(...) function if you have to. In general, finished functions should not contain input(...) commands or any form of printout - disp, assignment displays, fprintf etc. However, there are always exceptions (see below).
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Can you write a function that returns nothing?
Yes, a good example would be a function that traverses a collection displaying its contents. This is a rare exception to the "no printout" rule above. Another example is a function that creates a plot, though this is usually done with scripts.
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Will solutions be posted to the homeworks?
We will be posting HW solutions regularly after the due date for your perusal. If you do not understand the provided solution or solved it differently, There are two things you must consider:
- There are several ways to solve a problem. If you solved it differently, it might still be the correct solution.
- If you did not receive a favorable grade for your assignment or you do not "get" the solution provided, do not email your TA with "I solved it just like the solutions posted" or "Can you explain problem 2 on the solutions?". You should ideally talk to your TA at the recitation or to one of the TAs at help desk and have them explain to you why points were taken off or why the solution provided works.
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Is it okay to use iteration in addition to recursion on problems in which it says we must use recursion?
No, you cannot use iteration (for/while loops) on any problem in which we require you to use recursion. Even if it works, you will not earn credit. Any problem that says you must use recursion, implies that you cannot use iteration.
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What is the correct way to submit files to Webwork?
Make sure each of the files, you are supposed to submit are listed under the "Files To Submit" section on the submission page.
- You have to add each file individually.
- If you submit a zip folder containing all of the files, WebWork will automatically unzip the archive and list each file individually; this is fine too.
- Do not submit any other archive format (such as .rar). If you cannot see each file listed individually, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
Important: retrieve your assignment! Do not consider your assignment submitted until you've done the following:
- Retrieved it successful from Webwork.
- Saved the retrieved file to your hard drive.
- Unzipped the folder. (It should have a .zip extension containing .m files)
- Tested the files (You should already have a test script, hw#.m, that you submitted)
- If this all works, then you can safely assume that your homework has been correctly submitted.
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