Building Java Programs

Chapter 5
Program Logic and Indefinite Loops
 A deceptive problem...
• Write a method printNumbers that prints each number from
1 to a given maximum, separated by commas.

For example, the call:

printNumbers(5)

should print:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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 Flawed solutions
• public static void printNumbers(int max) {
for (int i = 1; i <= max; i++) {
System.out.print(i + ", ");
}
System.out.println(); // to end the line of output
}

– Output from printNumbers(5): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

• public static void printNumbers(int max) {

for (int i = 1; i <= max; i++) {
System.out.print(", " + i);
}
System.out.println(); // to end the line of output
}

– Output from printNumbers(5): , 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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 Fence post analogy
• We print n numbers but need only n - 1 commas.
• Similar to building a fence with wires separated by posts:
– If we use a flawed algorithm that repeatedly places a post + wire,
the last post will have an extra dangling wire.

for (length of fence) {

place a post.
place some wire.
}

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 Fencepost loop
• Add a statement outside the loop to place the initial "post."
– Also called a fencepost loop or a "loop-and-a-half" solution.

place a post.
for (length of fence - 1) {
place some wire.
place a post.
}

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 Fencepost method solution
public static void printNumbers(int max) {
System.out.print(1);
for (int i = 2; i <= max; i++) {
System.out.print(", " + i);
}
System.out.println(); // to end the line
}

• Alternate solution: Either first or last "post" can be taken out:

public static void printNumbers(int max) {
for (int i = 1; i <= max - 1; i++) {
System.out.print(i + ", ");
}
System.out.println(max); // to end the line
}
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 Fencepost question
• Modify your method printNumbers into a new method
printPrimes that prints all prime numbers up to a max.
– Example: printPrimes(50) prints
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43,
47

– If the maximum is less than 2, print no output.

• To help you, write a method countFactors which returns

the number of factors of a given integer.
– countFactors(20) returns 6 due to factors 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20.

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 Fencepost answer
// Prints all prime numbers up to the given max.
public static void printPrimes(int max) {
if (max >= 2) {
System.out.print("2");
for (int i = 3; i <= max; i++) {
if (countFactors(i) == 2) {
System.out.print(", " + i);
}
}
System.out.println();
}
}
// Returns how many factors the given number has.
public static int countFactors(int number) {
int count = 0;
for (int i = 1; i <= number; i++) {
if (number % i == 0) {
count++; // i is a factor of number
}
}
return count;
}

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while loops

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 Categories of loops
• definite loop: Executes a known number of times.
– The for loops we have seen are definite loops.
• Print "hello" 10 times.
• Find all the prime numbers up to an integer n.
• Print each odd number between 5 and 127.

• indefinite loop: One where the number of times its body

repeats is not known in advance.
• Prompt the user until they type a non-negative number.
• Print random numbers until a prime number is printed.
• Repeat until the user has types "q" to quit.

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 The while loop
• while loop: Repeatedly executes its
body as long as a logical test is true.
while (test) {
statement(s);
}

• Example:
int num = 1; // initialization
while (num <= 200) { // test
System.out.print(num + " ");
num = num * 2; // update
}
// output: 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128
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 Example while loop
// finds the first factor of 91, other than 1
int n = 91;
int factor = 2;
while (n % factor != 0) {
factor++;
}
System.out.println("First factor is " + factor);
// output: First factor is 7

– while is better than for because we don't know how many

times we will need to increment to find the factor.

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 Sentinel values
• sentinel: A value that signals the end of user input.
– sentinel loop: Repeats until a sentinel value is seen.

• Example: Write a program that prompts the user for numbers

until the user types 0, then outputs their sum.
– (In this case, 0 is the sentinel value.)

Enter a number (0 to quit): 10

Enter a number (0 to quit): 20
Enter a number (0 to quit): 30
Enter a number (0 to quit): 0
The sum is 60

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 Flawed sentinel solution
• What's wrong with this solution?
Scanner console = new Scanner(System.in);
int sum = 0;
int number = 1; // "dummy value", anything but 0

while (number != 0) {
System.out.print("Enter a number (0 to quit): ");
number = console.nextInt();
sum = sum + number;
}

System.out.println("The total is " + sum);

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 Changing the sentinel value
• Modify your program to use a sentinel value of -1.
– Example log of execution:
Enter a number (-1 to quit): 15
Enter a number (-1 to quit): 25
Enter a number (-1 to quit): 10
Enter a number (-1 to quit): 30
Enter a number (-1 to quit): -1
The total is 80

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 Changing the sentinel value
• To see the problem, change the sentinel's value to -1:
Scanner console = new Scanner(System.in);
int sum = 0;
int number = 1; // "dummy value", anything but -1

while (number != -1) {

System.out.print("Enter a number (-1 to quit): ");
number = console.nextInt();
sum = sum + number;
}

System.out.println("The total is " + sum);

• Now the solution produces the wrong output. Why?

The total was 79

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 The problem with our code
• Our code uses a pattern like this:
sum = 0.
while (input is not the sentinel) {
prompt for input; read input.
add input to the sum.
}

• On the last pass, the sentinel -1 is added to the sum:

prompt for input; read input (-1).
add input (-1) to the sum.

• This is a fencepost problem.

– Must read N numbers, but only sum the first N-1 of them.
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 A fencepost solution
sum = 0.
prompt for input; read input. // place a "post"

while (input is not the sentinel) {

add input to the sum. // place a "wire"
prompt for input; read input. // place a "post"
}

• Sentinel loops often utilize a fencepost "loop-and-a-half" style

solution by pulling some code out of the loop.

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 Correct sentinel code
Scanner console = new Scanner(System.in);
int sum = 0;

// pull one prompt/read ("post") out of the loop

System.out.print("Enter a number (-1 to quit): ");
int number = console.nextInt();

while (number != -1) {

sum = sum + number; // moved to top of loop
System.out.print("Enter a number (-1 to quit): ");
number = console.nextInt();
}

System.out.println("The total is " + sum);

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 Sentinel as a constant
public static final int SENTINEL = -1;
...
Scanner console = new Scanner(System.in);
int sum = 0;

// pull one prompt/read ("post") out of the loop

System.out.print("Enter a number (" + SENTINEL +
" to quit): ");
int number = console.nextInt();

while (number != SENTINEL) {

sum = sum + number; // moved to top of loop
System.out.print("Enter a number (" + SENTINEL +
" to quit): ");
number = console.nextInt();
}

System.out.println("The total is " + sum);

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Random numbers
 The Random class
• A Random object generates pseudo-random numbers.
– Class Random is found in the java.util package.
import java.util.*;
Method name Description
nextInt() returns a random integer
nextInt(max) returns a random integer in the range [0, max)
in other words, 0 to max-1 inclusive
nextDouble() returns a random real number in the range [0.0, 1.0)

– Example:
Random rand = new Random();
int randomNumber = rand.nextInt(10); // 0-9

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 Generating random numbers
• Common usage: to get a random number from 1 to N
int n = rand.nextInt(20) + 1; // 1-20 inclusive

• To get a number in arbitrary range [min, max] inclusive:

name.nextInt(size of range) + min

• where (size of range) is (max - min + 1)

– Example: A random integer between 4 and 10 inclusive:

int n = rand.nextInt(7) + 4;
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 Random questions
• Given the following declaration, how would you get:
Random rand = new Random();

– A random number between 1 and 47 inclusive?

int random1 = rand.nextInt(47) + 1;

– A random number between 23 and 30 inclusive?

int random2 = rand.nextInt(8) + 23;

– A random even number between 4 and 12 inclusive?

int random3 = rand.nextInt(5) * 2 + 4;
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 Random and other types
• nextDouble method returns a double between 0.0 - 1.0

– Example: Get a random GPA value between 1.5 and 4.0:

double randomGpa = rand.nextDouble() * 2.5 + 1.5;

• Any set of possible values can be mapped to integers

– code to randomly play Rock-Paper-Scissors:
int r = rand.nextInt(3);
if (r == 0) {
System.out.println("Rock");
} else if (r == 1) {
System.out.println("Paper");
} else { // r == 2
System.out.println("Scissors");
}
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 Random question
• Write a program that simulates rolling of two 6-sided dice until
their combined result comes up as 7.
2 + 4 = 6
3 + 5 = 8
5 + 6 = 11
1 + 1 = 2
4 + 3 = 7
You won after 5 tries!

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 Random answer
// Rolls two dice until a sum of 7 is reached.
import java.util.*;
public class Dice {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Random rand = new Random();
int tries = 0;
int sum = 0;
while (sum != 7) {
// roll the dice once
int roll1 = rand.nextInt(6) + 1;
int roll2 = rand.nextInt(6) + 1;
sum = roll1 + roll2;
System.out.println(roll1 + " + " + roll2 + " = " + sum);
tries++;
}
System.out.println("You won after " + tries + " tries!");
}
}

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 Random question
• Write a program that plays an adding game.
– Ask user to solve random adding problems with 2-5 numbers.
– The user gets 1 point for a correct answer, 0 for incorrect.
– The program stops after 3 incorrect answers.

4 + 10 + 3 + 10 = 27
9 + 2 = 11
8 + 6 + 7 + 9 = 25
Wrong! The answer was 30
5 + 9 = 13
Wrong! The answer was 14
4 + 9 + 9 = 22
3 + 1 + 7 + 2 = 13
4 + 2 + 10 + 9 + 7 = 42
Wrong! The answer was 32
You earned 4 total points.
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 do/while question
• Modify the previous Dice program to use do/while.
2 + 4 = 6
3 + 5 = 8
5 + 6 = 11
1 + 1 = 2
4 + 3 = 7
You won after 5 tries!

• Is do/while a good fit for our past Sentinel program?

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 Random answer
// Asks the user to do adding problems and scores them.
import java.util.*;

public class AddingGame {

public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner console = new Scanner(System.in);
Random rand = new Random();

// play until user gets 3 wrong

int points = 0;
int wrong = 0;
while (wrong < 3) {
int result = play(console, rand); // play one game
if (result > 0) {
points++;
} else {
wrong++;
}
}

System.out.println("You earned " + points + " total points.");

}

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 Random answer 2
...
// Builds one addition problem and presents it to the user.
// Returns 1 point if you get it right, 0 if wrong.
public static int play(Scanner console, Random rand) {
// print the operands being added, and sum them
int operands = rand.nextInt(4) + 2;
int sum = rand.nextInt(10) + 1;
System.out.print(sum);
for (int i = 2; i <= operands; i++) {
int n = rand.nextInt(10) + 1;
sum += n;
System.out.print(" + " + n);
}
System.out.print(" = ");
// read user's guess and report whether it was correct
int guess = console.nextInt();
if (guess == sum) {
return 1;
} else {
System.out.println("Wrong! The answer was " + total);
return 0;
}
}
}
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 The do/while loop
• do/while loop: Performs its test at the end of each repetition.
– Guarantees that the loop's {} body will run at least once.

do {
statement(s);
} while (test);

// Example: prompt until correct password is typed

String phrase;
do {
System.out.print("Type your password: ");
phrase = console.next();
} while (!phrase.equals("abracadabra"));
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 do/while answer
// Rolls two dice until a sum of 7 is reached.
import java.util.*;

public class Dice {

public static void main(String[] args) {
Random rand = new Random();
int tries = 0;
int sum;
do {
int roll1 = rand.nextInt(6) + 1; // one roll
int roll2 = rand.nextInt(6) + 1;
sum = roll1 + roll2;
System.out.println(roll1 + " + " + roll2 + " = " + sum);
tries++;
} while (sum != 7);
System.out.println("You won after " + tries + " tries!");
}
}

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