DATA 101

Lab #2 has been posted! It is in the Jupyter notebook which you can copy from here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VQhhqEtpCQvqUt30TM6ttInIbpz9Szwz/view?usp=sharing

(When you click on that link, it may say “no preview available” and give you a button that says to “open in Google Colab.” If so, go ahead and click that button to open it in Colab.)

This is “due” by next Wednesday. You’ll want to make sure you’ve read and understood all the material in Crystal Ball chapters 1-9 before proceeding.

This is going to come up a lot, so I might as well make a general post about it right now.

If you are having trouble with a lab problem and would like me to look at it, I won’t be able to access your notebook online until you give me permission.

To give me permission: (1) click on the “Share” button on Colab, and (2) use stephenclarkdavies _AT_ gmail _DOT_ com (spelled and punctuated as an actual email address of course) as the sharee.

That should trigger an invitation email to be sent to me, so I can look at your notebook and help you diagnose your problems. You should also email me directly (at my UMW email address, stephen _AT_ umw _DOT_ com) stating what specifically your question is or you want me to look at.

Lastly, realize that you’re not “turning in” the labs at all this semester. They are for your learning only!

Sorry so long to post this; I’ve been slammed today.

The Napheesa Collier problem on lab #1 had some less-than-optimally-named variables, which may have contributed to people missing that problem and not knowing why.

Let me explain.

• In basketball, there are three ways to score. One is a “free throw,” which is worth one point. One is shooting a “normal” basket, worth two points. The last is a “three-pointer,” which is a basket you made by shooting far away from the hoop, behind a special line, and is worth three points.
• In the lab, the variable named shots represents the total number of “normal” and “three-point” baskets Napheesa made. Note carefully: it does not include free throws (the 1 pointers), but it does include the three-pointers.
• Additional hint: you don’t have to do any amazing shuffling or resorting of the line beginning with “total_pts =“. All you have to do is add missing parentheses.

I reluctantly will have to cancel our class for Monday, Sept. 15th. Consider this just an advance heads-up!

If you’d like to examine or play around with the main quiz #1 question, here it is.

Your first lab assignment has been posted! It is in the Jupyter notebook which you can copy from here:

https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1ddFviJx4qsDo8inOkLeM2MX_n_2Nvbfl

(When you click on that link, it may say “no preview available” and give you a button that says to “open in Google Colab.” If so, go ahead and click that button to open it in Colab.)

You will then see a read-only copy of the notebook. You should then go to “Save a copy in Drive” from the “File” menu to save your own, writable copy of it. Then, read the instructions, and fill out the code cells as required! At the bottom is a cell which, when you execute, will run my “checker script” and verify that everything has been done correctly. (Unless your errors are egregious, it will also point out which problems you have missed points on, and which you should go back and correct.)

Good luck! This lab is “due” by next Wednesday. You’ll want to make sure you’ve read and understood all the material in Crystal Ball chapters 1-5 before proceeding.

Here are the links to the Jupyter notebooks we looked at in class today:

• the crazy barbecue program
• the broken Beyonce example” (and the fixed version)

When you click on these, you should see a read-only copy of the notebook on your screen. In order to make and save changes to your own personal copy, be sure to choose “File > Save a copy in Drive” first.

Olivia and Kenzie are two smart & powerful lab aides who can help you in your understanding of programming this semester! Don’t hesitate to give them a visit! Here are their weekly hours:

If you’ve received an accommodation letter from the ODR, and sent it along to me, thank you very much. Let me be specific about how I will handle all of these:

1. I fully intend to comply with all your accommodations, but I may need to be periodically reminded on a case by case basis. If I do end up needing reminding at any time, please don’t interpret that as “Stephen doesn’t care about me or my accommodation.” Instead, interpret it as “Stephen has a lot of things he’s trying to carry in his mind right now, and it’s hard for him to memorize everybody’s accommodation needs at all times.” Please do just gently remind me, and I’m happy to accommodate.
2. For accommodation needs like “the ability to record the lecture,” that power is officially granted to everybody. Heck, you can even stick the recording on Youtube if you want.
3. For accommodation needs like “a distraction-free environment for quizzes,” please tell me at the beginning of our first quiz that you need this, and I will relocate you to another room for the quiz.
4. For accommodation needs like “extra time on quizzes,” I’ll also have you in the distraction-free room, and give you 1.5x or double time or whatever your accommodation awards. Do be aware that this will mean missing some class time (since class on Fridays will begin immediately after the regular quiz time, so if you’re still working on it you’ll miss those minutes of lecture). Usually, that time will probably be spent going over the questions on the quiz, so you shouldn’t miss much, if any, new material.
5. For accommodation needs like “access to a laptop to take notes,” please let me know this in class today so I can relocate you to the back of the classroom (where others won’t be distracted by your screen).
6. For anything else you think I need to know about, just come ask me: email, after class, and office hours are all good.

You can get one extra credit point, which can be applied to any quiz, by sending Stephen a clear head-shot picture of yourself! Just email it to me (stephen _AT_ umw _DOT_ edu) with the picture attached, and with subject line “DATA 101 extra credit head-shot” by next Friday.