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Problem taken from a C++ quiz

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  • Q QuiJohn

    Bah, I would've gotten it right if I had pasted it into my color coded editor. :) I used to feel like that was cheating, now I depend on it.


    Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency!            -Emily Dickinson

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    peterchen
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    Now you know how I feel when I'm left without Visual Assist...

    We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
    blog: TDD - the Aha! | Linkify!| FoldWithUs! | sighist

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    • J Jay Gatsby

      This isn't the exact question (I can't remember what it was exactly) but this example keeps to the spirit of the problem. There was a series of questions which had subtle bugs in them, which all had to be answered in the following way: Does it compile? If so, does it run without (potentially) crashing? If so, what does it print out? #include // for cout int main() { int x = 4; int y = 2; int *px = &x; int *py = &y; std::cout << "4 / 2 = " << *px/*py << std::endl; return 0; } When you think you know the answer, go to http://pastebin.com/f57900ce I actually got this one right.

      -Gatsby

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      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      This brings up memories from first and second semester programming courses, like this: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; z = *px**py; Would this execute properly? If yes, what is the value of z after execution?

      modified on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:14 AM

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      • L Lost User

        This brings up memories from first and second semester programming courses, like this: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; z = *px**py; Would this execute properly? If yes, what is the value of z after execution?

        modified on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:14 AM

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        C Offline
        CPallini
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        CDP1802 wrote:

        Would this execute properly?

        Who knows: it doesn't compile (i.e. did you intend z = *px**py?).

        If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler. -- Alfonso the Wise, 13th Century King of Castile.
        This is going on my arrogant assumptions. You may have a superb reason why I'm completely wrong. -- Iain Clarke

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        • C CPallini

          CDP1802 wrote:

          Would this execute properly?

          Who knows: it doesn't compile (i.e. did you intend z = *px**py?).

          If the Lord God Almighty had consulted me before embarking upon the Creation, I would have recommended something simpler. -- Alfonso the Wise, 13th Century King of Castile.
          This is going on my arrogant assumptions. You may have a superb reason why I'm completely wrong. -- Iain Clarke

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          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          Thanks, I just corrected it. Looks like I would have failed the exam this time :-) Sometimes it gets really annoying, how dependant one may get of Intellisense and the likes

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          • L Lost User

            This brings up memories from first and second semester programming courses, like this: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; z = *px**py; Would this execute properly? If yes, what is the value of z after execution?

            modified on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:14 AM

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            A Offline
            Anthony Mushrow
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            Would that even compile? I'm going to say it wouldn't work out. And then go and check... EDIT:I guess the compiler isn't an idiot, it works just fine.

            My current favourite word is: Bacon!

            -SK Genius

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            • A Anthony Mushrow

              Would that even compile? I'm going to say it wouldn't work out. And then go and check... EDIT:I guess the compiler isn't an idiot, it works just fine.

              My current favourite word is: Bacon!

              -SK Genius

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              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              Its not really hard to figure out and can be done to eternity with other pointer types: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; int** ppx = &px; int** ppy = &py; z = **ppx***ppy; The result is exactly the same as before :-)

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              • L Lost User

                Its not really hard to figure out and can be done to eternity with other pointer types: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; int** ppx = &px; int** ppy = &py; z = **ppx***ppy; The result is exactly the same as before :-)

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                Anthony Mushrow
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                I just though perhaps the compiler would get confused and start going on about illegal indirection or whatever it is. Still, i wouldn't put it into any of my projects, not like that anyway, i'd probably add brackets to avoid confusion. z = (*px)*(*py);

                My current favourite word is: Bacon!

                -SK Genius

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                • A Anthony Mushrow

                  I just though perhaps the compiler would get confused and start going on about illegal indirection or whatever it is. Still, i wouldn't put it into any of my projects, not like that anyway, i'd probably add brackets to avoid confusion. z = (*px)*(*py);

                  My current favourite word is: Bacon!

                  -SK Genius

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                  Lost User
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  Very true. The professor included things like this into his exams to see if you really understood how such lines were interpreted. He did not recommend such things as good examples of well-written code.

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                  • L Lost User

                    Very true. The professor included things like this into his exams to see if you really understood how such lines were interpreted. He did not recommend such things as good examples of well-written code.

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                    A Offline
                    Anthony Mushrow
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    Seems like a good professor.

                    My current favourite word is: Bacon!

                    -SK Genius

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                    • Q QuiJohn

                      Bah, I would've gotten it right if I had pasted it into my color coded editor. :) I used to feel like that was cheating, now I depend on it.


                      Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency!            -Emily Dickinson

                      S Offline
                      S Offline
                      Simon Capewell
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      You wouldn't if you were they guy I used to work with. He spent an entire afternoon scratching his head over why the (abysmal) code he'd just written wasn't having any effect. He called a few people over to help and, surprise surprise, the entire screen was filled with green text :rolleyes:

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                      • J Jay Gatsby

                        This isn't the exact question (I can't remember what it was exactly) but this example keeps to the spirit of the problem. There was a series of questions which had subtle bugs in them, which all had to be answered in the following way: Does it compile? If so, does it run without (potentially) crashing? If so, what does it print out? #include // for cout int main() { int x = 4; int y = 2; int *px = &x; int *py = &y; std::cout << "4 / 2 = " << *px/*py << std::endl; return 0; } When you think you know the answer, go to http://pastebin.com/f57900ce I actually got this one right.

                        -Gatsby

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                        VentsyV
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #18

                        Jay Gatsby wrote:

                        #include // for cout int main() { int x = 4; int y = 2; int *px = &x; int *py = &y; std::cout << "4 / 2 = " << *px/*py << std::endl; return 0; }

                        #include // for cout - is that somekind of new header file I have not heard about ?

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                        • V VentsyV

                          Jay Gatsby wrote:

                          #include // for cout int main() { int x = 4; int y = 2; int *px = &x; int *py = &y; std::cout << "4 / 2 = " << *px/*py << std::endl; return 0; }

                          #include // for cout - is that somekind of new header file I have not heard about ?

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                          macroideal
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #19

                          it is a new language

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                          • M macroideal

                            it is a new language

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                            Jay Gatsby
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #20

                            no, that's me forgetting to click the ignore HTML check-box when I made the post, therefore losing . Everyone else seemed to understand that just fine.

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                            • J Jay Gatsby

                              This isn't the exact question (I can't remember what it was exactly) but this example keeps to the spirit of the problem. There was a series of questions which had subtle bugs in them, which all had to be answered in the following way: Does it compile? If so, does it run without (potentially) crashing? If so, what does it print out? #include // for cout int main() { int x = 4; int y = 2; int *px = &x; int *py = &y; std::cout << "4 / 2 = " << *px/*py << std::endl; return 0; } When you think you know the answer, go to http://pastebin.com/f57900ce I actually got this one right.

                              -Gatsby

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                              T Offline
                              tmalbon
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #21

                              insert space between `/' and '*' like this `*px/ *py << std::endl;" it will compile on VC6

                              TMALBONPH

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                              • A Anthony Mushrow

                                Seems like a good professor.

                                My current favourite word is: Bacon!

                                -SK Genius

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                                B Offline
                                bulg
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #22

                                Sounds like an annoying professor

                                A 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • B bulg

                                  Sounds like an annoying professor

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                                  Anthony Mushrow
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #23

                                  Wow, old post, and one voted too. Obviously people don't agree with me :rolleyes: Oh well, i think they seem like a decent proff. anyway, y'all are entitled to your own opinions.

                                  My current favourite word is: I'm starting to run out of fav. words!

                                  -SK Genius

                                  Game Programming articles start -here[^]-

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                                  • A Anthony Mushrow

                                    Wow, old post, and one voted too. Obviously people don't agree with me :rolleyes: Oh well, i think they seem like a decent proff. anyway, y'all are entitled to your own opinions.

                                    My current favourite word is: I'm starting to run out of fav. words!

                                    -SK Genius

                                    Game Programming articles start -here[^]-

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                                    B Offline
                                    bulg
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #24

                                    woops, didnt see the date [-1 troll] for me >.<

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                                    • L Lost User

                                      This brings up memories from first and second semester programming courses, like this: int x = 5; int y = 100; int z = 0; int* px = &x; int* py= &y; z = *px**py; Would this execute properly? If yes, what is the value of z after execution?

                                      modified on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:14 AM

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                                      M Offline
                                      Megidolaon
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #25

                                      Stuff like that pisses me off. Might be bad experience, but teachers often feel funny and think they come up with a "good" way of testing the students' knowledge with excessively nested or obscure code. The main reason why it pisses me off is because stuff like that usually never got mentioned before in class. Not even once. Not only that, usually none of the resources mention it either. So the students not only have no reason to ever use something like that, they usually don't even know something like that is even possible. This means they have no idea just what the hell will happen. Thinking it through won't help either because it's not something you can deduct from the stuff you learned, it's only a 50/50 guess whether you get the right answer or not. Might be just my bad experience but I've written too many tests where the larger part was made up of questions like that and the things you really discussed in class and read in the resources made up less than half of it. It was more like guessing the right answers rather than testing the acquired knowledge.

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