#i hate computer science

[kyshangie]

jadenbu mentioned in my assignment

didn't put wemmbu name cause he already exist in main vote

[forgo-me-not]

so… i just locked in and spent five hours learning html codes so i can make a choose your own adventure fic in ao3???? what the hell do i do with this information??

[qiu-yan]

the yunmeng jiang sect is trying to hunt down a yao, which is currently hiding in a lair that yunmeng jiang cannot locate.

after an extensive survey, yunmeng jiang reports to sect leader jiang fengmian that the yao's lair has a back entrance, which opens directly onto a nearby river. the problem, however, is that they do not know where exactly on this river the back entrance opens, and the stretch of river they have narrowed down the potential location to is still 80 kilometers long. to make matters even more complicated, the back entrance cannot be spotted from a distance; instead, it is predicted to look no different from any natural cave or tunnel entrance. thus, if yunmeng jiang wants to find the back entrance to the yao's lair, they will have to search every cave along this 80-kilometer stretch of river.

this 80km stretch of river is completely straight; the water flows uniformly and rapidly from west to east.

wei wuxian observes that, since the back entrance they are looking for is to a yao's lair, it must expel the yao's resentful energy into the water of the river. wei wuxian then observes that, because the river water in the relevant stretch flows uniformly and rapidly from west to east, the yao energy expelled from the back entrance must then be carried downstream by the river water. wei wuxian also observes that, because the river's flow is so fast, it is certain that there will only be yao energy in the river east of the back entrance, and there will certainly be no yao energy in the river to the west of the back entrance. (for the sake of argument, let us say that all of wei wuxian's assumptions here are guaranteed to be correct).

thus, wei wuxian develops a talisman that can detect if the yao's unique energy signature is present in a sample of water. here is how wei wuxian's talisman works:

if the water sample has traces of the yao's unique energy in it, the talisman turns red.

if the water sample was taken from within 50m of the yao lair back entrance, then the talisman turns black.

otherwise, the talisman turns green.

the talisman can be used only once, so if you want to test the water multiple times, then you will have to prepare 1 new talisman for every test. furthermore, producing these talismans is rather expensive, so yunmeng jiang wishes to minimize the number of talismans used.

to test his talisman, wei wuxian uses the talisman to test the water at the east boundary of the identified stretch of river; the talisman turns red, indicating the energy trail from the back entrance has reached all the way to the east end of the river stretch. wei wuxian then uses the talisman to test the water at the west boundary of the identified stretch of river; the talisman turns green, indicating there is no yao energy in the water at the west end of the river stretch.

diagram:

upon hearing this, jiang fengmian proposes the following method for finding the yao lair back entrance:

begin 50m to the west of the east end of the identified stretch of river.

test the water with the talisman. mark this location on your map.

if the talisman detects the yao's unique energy, then move to the west by 100m and test the water again.

repeat steps 2 and 3, until the talisman detects that it is close to the yao lair back entrance (turns black).

if the talisman turned black, then you are within 50m of the yao lair back entrance. because you are searching the river in 100m increments, and because the talisman turns black if it is within 50m of the back entrance, the talisman is guaranteed to turn black eventually.

wei wuxian then proposes a modified version of this method, which according to him will result in fewer talismans being used:

begin at the east end of the identified stretch of river.

test the water with the talisman. mark this location on your map.

if the talisman detects the yao's unique energy, then move to the west by 500m and test the water again.

repeat steps 2 and 3 until the talisman either detects that it is close to the yao lair back entrance (turns black), or - more likely - does not detect any yao energy in the water (turns green).

if the talisman turns black, then you are within 50m of the yao lair back entrance. in this case, you are done.

if the talisman turns green, then that means the yao lair back entrance is between your current location and the previously tested location (which should be marked on your map).

search the interval between your current location and the previous testing location in 100m increments, using the talisman, until the talisman turns black.

jiang cheng, meanwhile, proposes a different method, which according to him will also result in fewer talismans being used:

designate the east end of the river stretch as the "East Start", and the west end of the river stretch as the "West End."

move to the midpoint between the "East Start" and the "West End." (you can calculate this location using your map). test the water there with the talisman.

if the talisman turns black, then you are within 50m of the yao lair back entrance. then you are done.

if the talisman turns red (detects yao energy), then the back entrance is still upstream of you. in this case, designate your current location as the new "East Start."

if the talisman turns green (does not detect yao energy), then the back entrance is downstream of you (ie. you passed it). in this case, designate your current location as the new "West End."

repeat steps 2-5. you are guaranteed to find the yao lair back entrance eventually.

jiang fengmian considers these 3 methods for a while. then, he declares that, in terms of minimizing the number of talismans used, on average, wei wuxian's method is the most effective.

is jiang fengmian's conclusion correct?

yes - wei wuxian's method uses the least talismans.

no - jiang fengmian's old method uses the least talismans.

no - jiang cheng's method uses the least talismans.

Voting ended onMar 9, 2025

justify your reasoning in the notes!

followup questions:

in what situation would each method use the maximum number of talismans possible for said method?

in what situation would each method use the least number of talismans possible for said method?

on average, how many talismans will each method use?

[itzoliveink]

Guys imma need thoughts and prayers for me tomorrow, got a Ap Computer Science exam🥀💔 if I don’t pass it, I’m not getting that college credit and guys I do not want to take this class again in college…

I did a mock exam and then the next day asked my teacher how I did. I KID YALL NOT, He placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “Ink (obv he said my real name but y’all ain’t getting that out of me yet), you have never scored this low in your life..”

My live reaction:

KEEP IN MIND HE GAVE US A MASSIVE CURVE. My classmate got 25/50 correct and passed with 80, I got 70… chat I don’t even WANT to know how many I got correct.

Thought and prayers for me tonight 🙏 cause now I’m up against the big dog. (70 multiple choice questions… oh lord have mercy on me)

[thestarswhisper]

comp sci test did not go well dropping out of school T minus 48 hours

[clevererthanyesterday]

19.03.24 | 22:08

Today I didn't have time to study and I have a computer science exams in two days... So I studied in the car. 0/10 wouldn't recommend, it's really uncomfortable.

I'm so tired.

I'll try to study an hour before going to bed, wish me luck.

Study hours: 2h (so far)

[leonsleatherjacket]

computer science coursework due in so soon and i have a fuck ton to do and i genuinely want to blow my brains out like why am i writing a whole dissertation for something that is only worth 20% of my final grade what do you mean im writing like 3 pages on something thats worth 4 marks kill yourself

[leonsleatherjacket]

good luck with your exam you got this !!!

im cryin whatever i put on that exam paper was an embarrassment to my entire bloodline