Introduction to Computer Science

• Assignment 1: Modeling a University Course Registration System
• Assignment 2: Chess Game Simulation
• Assignment 3: Recursive Solutions for Antenna Pairing and Maze Solver
• Assignment 4: Collision Detection in 2D Physics Simulation

Assignment 1: Modeling a University Course Registration System

Overview

This assignment requires the creation of a Java-based simulation of a university course registration system. It focuses on modeling courses, students, and their interactions within a course registration environment.

Objectives

• Gain experience with arrays and linked lists.
• Implement a Java class using an array of singly linked lists.
• Develop skills in working with multiple classes and in object-oriented programming in Java.

Key Components

• SLinkedList: A fully implemented linked list class provided for use.
• Student: A fully implemented class representing a student. It includes fields such as ID, name, and a list of registered/waitlisted course codes. Key methods include constructor, isRegisteredOrWaitlisted, addCourse, and dropCourse.
• Course: A class to be implemented by students, tracking registered students. Key attributes include course code, capacity, a table of students (array of linked lists), size, and a waitlist. Methods to be implemented are changeArrayLength, put, get, remove, getCourseSize, getRegisteredIDs, getRegisteredStudents, getWaitlistedIDs, and getWaitlistedStudents.

Tasks

• Implement specific methods in the Course class focusing on managing course registrations and waitlists.
• Ensure correct handling of student registrations, waitlists, and course capacity adjustments.

Assignment 2: Chess Game Simulation

Overview

This assignment involves creating a digital chess game in Java, acting as a "referee" to ensure valid moves are made and to announce a winner. It concentrates on implementing basic game rules and object-oriented programming without advanced chess concepts.

Objectives

• Develop an API for a digital chess game.
• Implement game logic in Java, adhering to chess rules.
• Practice object-oriented programming and class implementation.

Key Components

• Chess Game Mechanics: Simplified rules of chess for an 8x8 grid game with six types of pieces (King, Queen, Pawn, Bishop, Knight, Rook). The objective is to capture the opponent's King.
• Piece Classes: Creation and implementation of classes extending the Piece class, with each type having specific movement rules.
• Game Class: Implementation of game logic and rule enforcement.
• Board and GameApp Classes: Provided classes handling game state and the graphical user interface.

Tasks

• Implement canMove and getSymbol methods for each Piece class.
• Develop the Game class to manage game logic and rules.
• Ensure accurate tracking of moves and game history.

Assignment 3: Recursive Solutions for Antenna Pairing and Maze Solver

Overview

This assignment, divided into two parts, emphasizes recursion in solving complex problems: antenna pairing and maze solving.

Part I: Finding the Closest Antenna Pair

Objective

Find the closest pair of antenna towers for two organizations (A and B) to minimize signal loss.

Task

• Implement the ClosestAntennaPair class using recursion, modifying the provided ClosestPair.java starter code.

Key Components

• closestDistance: A private double value storing the closest distance.
• A template for the constructor and closest() method.

Part II: Maze Solver

Objective

Implement a recursive solution to a maze problem.

Task

• Write a recursive method, solveMazeUtil, to find a path in a maze from the start position to a key, then to the final position.

Key Components

• The class Maze with several predefined methods.

Assignment 4: Collision Detection in 2D Physics Simulation

Overview

This assignment focuses on collision detection in a 2D physics simulation, resembling a chaotic billiards game with multiple balls.

Objectives

• Implement collision detection in a real-time 2D physics simulation with multiple moving balls.
• Compare the efficiency and effectiveness of different algorithms (naive and divide-and-conquer) for collision detection.

Key Components

• Naive Approach: Implement basic collision detection with nested loops to check every pair of circles.
• Divide-and-Conquer Approach: Use a Bounding Volume Hierarchy (BVH) for more efficient collision detection.
• Classes and Methods: Includes Visualizer, Box, Circle, BVH, ContactFinder, ContactResult, and BVHIterator.

Tasks

• Implement collision detection using both naive and BVH-based approaches.
• Test and optimize algorithms for handling a large number of moving balls.