ENGR 103 — Week 04: Iteration and Simple Programs

📖 Weekly Overview

This week we explore systematic search algorithms and binary number representation. We also confront an important reality of computing: most decimal numbers can't be stored exactly in binary — understanding this is essential for reliable sensor data analysis.

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, you will be able to:

Implement guess-and-check algorithms
Convert between decimal and binary
Handle floating-point precision issues
Apply iteration patterns: count, find, accumulate, transform, collect

📚 Required Reading

Guttag, "Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python" (3rd Ed)
Week 04 Reading: Ch 3.1, 3.3
Complete before the first lecture of the week.

📅 This Week's Schedule

Monday: Monday: Guess-and-check and binary representation
Friday: Friday: Float precision and iteration patterns.

✅ Assignments Due This Week

Week 04 Quiz — Due Sunday 11:59 PM on Canvas (15 questions, 15 pts)
Week 04 Assignment — Due Sunday 11:59 PM on Canvas (3 coding problems)

🔗 Resources

Lecture slides available on Canvas before each class
Textbook: Guttag Ch 1 available free at MIT OpenCourseWare
Python documentation: docs.python.org
Office hours: Check Canvas calendar for times and Zoom/room info
Course Piazza: Post questions (anonymously if preferred)