PCS4

Week 4:
Binary search (Book, Section 18.2)
Parameter mechanism (Book, section 7.16)
Towers of Hanoi (again)
Search algorithms

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Linear search

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Linear search:
Example: your Shop-class has a list of articles (myArticles), every
article has a unique idnr.
Search for an article with idnr equal to a certain searchkey (For
instance: search for the article with searchkey equal to a barcode or
an rfid-tag you just scanned).

Using linear search (inspect your articles one by one,

until you found what you are looking for, or
until you reach the end of the list):

public Article getArticle(int searchkey)

{
foreach ( Article a in this.myArticles)
{ if (a.idnr == searchkey ) { return a; }
}
return null;
}

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Binary search

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Binary search(only possible if the list is sorted by idnr):
public Article getArticle(int searchkey)
{ int lowindex, highindex;
lowindex = 0; highindex = myArticles.count – 1;
int m; // for middle index
while (lowindex <= highindex)
{ // P
m = (lowindex + highindex) / 2;

3 possibilities:
- myArticles[m].idnr == searchkey: return myArticles[m];
- myArticles[m].idnr < searchkey: lowindex = m + 1;
- myArticles[m].idnr > searchkey: highindex = m – 1;
} // P and not( lowindex <= highindex )
return null;
}
proposition P :
( Ei : 0<=i<myArticles.Count : myArticles[i].idnr ==
searchkey )
< == >
( Ei : lowindex<=i<=highindex : myArticles[i].idnr == 6
Binary search versus linear search:
• Linear search is easy to program, binary search needs more
thinking.
• Linear search works always; binary search only works for sorted
lists.
• Binary search is much, much, much faster.

For n elements in the list,

- in linear search the average number of times the repetition will be
performed is ½ n if it is in the list and n times if it is not in the list.
- the body of the while-statement in a binary search will be executed
around 2log(n) times.

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 PCS4

Week 4: Parameter
mechanism
(Book, section 7.16)
 A method call: how about the parameters
and their associated values?

public void DoIt ( int k, int m)

{
// some code here
}

What happens when you call this method with actual values,
for instance 10 and a+b (a and b are integers),
like
DoIt ( 10, a + b );

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 An example
private void DoIt(int a, int b)
private int a; {
private int b; int temp;
a = 7; temp = a + b;
b = 13; a = 2 * temp;
b = a - b;
}

What happens when you push the button:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
DoIt(10, a + b);
}

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A method call:

• call by value if you specify nothing. Actual values

are calculated and used for the "placeholders".

• call by reference if you specify by ref (or by out).

Actual values for the "placeholders" are references
to memory-addresses.

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 private void DoIt(int a, ref int b)
{
An example int temp;
private int a; temp = a + b;
private int b; a = 2 * temp;
a = 7; b = a - b;
b = 13; }

What are a and b after clicking the button?

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DoIt(10, a + b); //ERROR; a + b is not a reference
}

What are a and b after clicking the button?

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DoIt(a + b, a);
}
// ERROR; a is not a reference.
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 private void DoIt(int a, ref int b)
{
An example int temp;
private int a; temp = a + b;
private int b; a = 2 * temp;
a = 7; b = a - b;
b = 13; }

What are a and b after clicking the button?

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DoIt(10, ref a + b); //ERROR; a + b is not a reference
}

What are a and b after clicking the button?

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
DoIt(a + b, ref a);
}
// a has value 47 and b has value 13.
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 private int a;
An example private int b;
a = 7;
private void DoIt(int a, ref int b) b = 13;
{
int temp;
temp = a + b;
a = 2 * temp;
b = a - b;
}
private void Cute(ref int x, int y)
{
What are a and b after clicking the button?
x = x+1;
private void button1_Click(...)
y = y - 1;
{
DoIt( y , ref x );
Cute(ref a , b);
x++;
}
}
// a has value 33 and b has value 13.

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Demo: show it!

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Some rules on ref and out params in a method
• ref parameter
– ref parameter must be declared and initialized
before calling the method
– in the method, the value of the ref parameter may be
changed

• out parameter
– out parameter must be declared before calling the
method
– out parameter must be assigned a value in the
method

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Example: Int32.TryParse

bool TryParse(string s, out int i)

Demo:
Let’s implement our version of TryParse

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Example: towers of Hanoi (again)

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Hanoi, a difficult problem (if you don't like recursion)
3 piles (towers), numbered 1, 2, 3.

At startup: all discs are on pile 1 from "big to small".

At finish: all discs should be on pile 3.

A move: move a disc from one pile to another pile,

but you are not allowed to put a bigger disc on a smaller disc.

In how many moves can you solve the problem? And how should you
do it?

A solution without recursion: terrible to program.

A solution by using recursion: pretty simple.

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Hanoi, a difficult problem (if you don't like recursion)

// Give me instructions about how to move

// nrOfDiscs discs from the pile numbered
// startPile to the pile numbered endPile.
// You may use the pile numbered helpingPile.
// Precondition: nrOfDiscs > 0.
public void Hanoi( int startPile,
int endPile,
int helpingPile,
int nrOfDiscs )
{
. . . // todo
}

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Hanoi, a difficult problem (if you don't like recursion)
// Precondition: nrOfDiscs > 0.
public void Hanoi( int startPile,
int endPile,
int helpingPile,
int nrOfDiscs )
{
if (nrOfDiscs == 1)
{ DoAMove(startPile, endPile);
}
else
{ Hanoi(startPile, helpingPile, endPile, nrOfDiscs – 1);
DoAMove(startPile, endPile);
Hanoi(helpingPile, endPile, startPile, nrOfDiscs – 1);
}
}

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 Hanoi example with 3 discs
p1 p2 p3

• Hanoi(p1,p2,p3,3) p1 p2 p3
– Hanoi(p1,p3,p2,2)
• Hanoi(p1,p2,p3,1) p1 p2 p3
– Move(p1,p2)
• Move(p1,p3)
• Hanoi(p2,p3,p1,1) p1 p2 p3
– Move(p2,p3)
– Move(p1,p2) p1 p2 p3
– Hanoi(p3,p2,p1,2)
• Hanoi(p3,p1,p2,1) p1 p2 p3
– Move(p3,p1)
• Move(p3,p2)
• Hanoi(p1,p2,p3,1) p1 p2 p3
– Move(p1,p2)

p1 p2 p3

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