An irrational number is a real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio of integers, in other words you cannot write an irrational number as a fraction p/q where p and q are both integer values.

Two of the most well known irrational numbers are Pi (Π) and the Golden ration (φ).

One of the characteristics of irrational numbers is that their decimal expansion is infinite with no recurring patterns.

Another interesting fact about irrational numbers is that the square root of a prime number is always irrational. So the following numbers are all irrational numbers:

We will base our Python challenge based on this latest fact. Your task is going to write a Python script that:

Ask the user to enter two positive integer values, a and b.
List a set of irrational numbers between a and b by listing the square roots of all the prime numbers between a² and b².

For instance for a = 4 and b = 7, we will find all the prime numbers between a² = 16 and b² = 49 and work out a list of irrational numbers using the square root values of these prime numbers. So √17, √19, √23, √29, √31, √37, √41, √43, √47 are all irrational numbers between 4 and 7. We will display a rounded version of these numbers on screen as it is impossible to display an irrational number with its full decimal expansion.

Note that to help you with this code, we have already created a function called isPrime() that takes a number as a parameter and returns True is this number is a prime number.

def isPrime(number):
   if number > 1:
      for i in range(2, int(number ** 0.5) + 1):
         if number % i == 0:
            return False
      return True
   else:
      return False

Also note that the square root of a number can be calculated by raising this number to the power of half.

Python Code

You can now complete this challenge using the code provided below:

Solution...

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In this challenge we are going to create a quiz using Python to test the end-user’s understanding of storage units used to describe the capacity of a storage device.

Our quiz will consist of 10 “Bigger or Smaller” questions as follows:

To complete this quiz you will need to complete the code provided below to:

Display a welcome banner with the name of the quiz.
Generate a random number between 1 and 999 and a random storage unit (Bytes, KB, MG, GB, TB or PB) for the first storage capacity.
Generate a second random number between 1 and 999 and a second random storage unit for the second storage capacity.
Display both storage capacities on the screen and ask the user if the first one is bigger or smaller than than the second one.
Convert both storage capacities in Bytes to work out which capacity is actually bigger.
Inform the user if their answer is correct or not.
Repeat the whole process 10 times to create a quiz with 10 different questions.
Include a scoring system where the suer receives a score out of 10, each correct answer giving the user and extra point.

Python Code

We have started the code below to generate the first storage capacity. Check out how the import library is used to generate a random number between 1 and 999 and to also picks a storage unit at random.

Solution...

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The aim of this challenge is to create an “Odd One Out” quiz on storage devices using Python. But let’s first revisit the main technologies used by storage devices in a computer system.

We can categorise all the storage devices found within a computer system into three main categories based on the technology they rely on to store binary data:

Magnetic Storage Devices

Magnetic storage devices such as magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and hard disk drives (HDD). A hard drive contains a spinning disk coated with a magnetic material. A read/write head moves over the disk, changing the magnetic properties to store data. Magnetic tapes work similarly, but data is stored in a linear format on a magnetic ribbon (tape).

Optical Storage Devices

Optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks. With this technology, data is stored on the disc as tiny pits (dents) and lands (flat areas). A laser shines onto the surface, and the reflection is interpreted as binary data (1s and 0s) by a computer.

Flash/Solid State Storage Devices

Flash (a.k.a. solid state) storage devices such as USB Keys, SD cards, Micro-SD cards and Solid Sate Drives (SSD). Data is stored in memory chips that can be accessed almost instantly. These chips are made of semiconductors, which can retain data even when the device is powered off.

Python Quiz

For the purpose of this quiz we have stored the information regarding the different storage devices used in a computer system and their technology using three lists in Python:

optical = ["CD","DVD","Blu-ray"]
magnetic = ["Magnetic Tape","Floppy Disk","Hard Disk Drive (HDD)"]
flash = ["USB Key","SD Card","Micro-SD Card","Solid State Drive (SSD)"]

Using Python, you can easily merge two or more lists together using the + operator. e.g. to create a list containing all the storage devices:

allDevices = optical + magnetic + flash

Using the random library you can use two key functions shuffle() and choice():

import random

# Shuffle all the values of a list:
random.shuffle(allDevices)
print(allDevices)

# Pick a random value from a list:
randomDevice = random.choice(allDevices)
print(randomDevice)

Odd One Out Quiz

Your task is to create a 10-question quiz where for each question, the computer will randomly pick 2 storage devices of the same technology (e.g. two optical devices) and one random device from a different technology (e.g. either magnetic or flash). The computer will then display these three devices in a random order and ask the user to identify which of the three device is the odd one out.

For each correct answer the user should score 1 point. At the end of the 10 questions, the user should see their score out of 10.

Python Code

To complete this Python challenge you will need to complete the code below:

Solution...

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For this quiz we will use a data set of 10 of the most iconic mountains in the world.

Here is our data set, displayed as a table:

This data set will be stored in a Python program using a 2D array (list of lists) as follows:

mountains = [["Mount Everest","Nepal / Tibet",8849],
             ["Mount K2","Pakistan / China",8611],
             ["Mount Aconcagua","Argentina",6959],
             ["Mount McKinley","Alaska, USA",6190],
             ["Mount Kilimanjaro","Tanzania",5895],
             ["Mount Kenya","Kenya",5199],
             ["Mount Blanc","France",4809],
             ["Mount Fuji","Japan",3776],
             ["Mount Etna","Italy",3369],
             ["Ben Nevis","Scotland, UK",1345]]

Using the random library we can easily pick a random peak from this 2D array and display its name, location and elevation:

import random

number = random.randint(0,len(mountains)-1)
peak = mountains[number]
name = peak[0]
location = peak[1]
elevation = peak[2]
print(">>> Did you know?")
print(name + " is located in " + location + " and rises to " + str(elevation) + " meters." )

Your challenge

Your task is to create a quiz based on this data set. The rules of the quiz are as follows:

 A player starts with a health of 10,000 points and a score of 0.
 The computer randomly selects a peak from the data set and displays the name of the peak and its location.
 It then asks the player to estimate the elevation of the selected peak.
 The computer calculates the difference in meters between the answer given by the player and the real elevation of the peak and deducts this difference from the player’s health score.
 If the player’s health score is positive, then the player’s score goes up by 1 point.
 The quiz repeats itself for as long as the player’s health score remains positive.
 Once the player’s health score reaches zero or a negative value, a game over message is displayed alongside the player’s total score.

Python Code

You can complete your quiz by editing the Python code below:

Solution...

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For this challenge you are going to create a quiz based on some of the most iconic buildings in the world. We have selected a collection of 20 buildings with their name, height in meters and location. This data is stored in a CSV file called iconic-buildings.csv.

We have started the code for this quiz by using the random library in Python to randomly select one building (one line) from the csv file. We are then extracting the information on this line to display a “did you know?” statement about this building.

You can test our Python code below:

Quiz #1 – Where in the world?

You task is to create a set of quizzes using this data file.

Your first quiz should randomly pick a building, display its name and height and ask the user if they can guess the country this building is from. The quiz should have 10 questions and at the end it should give the user a total score out of 10. Finally once a quiz is completed, the program should ask the user if they want to play again.

Quiz #2 – Which building is taller?

Your second quiz will randomly select and display the name and location of two buildings from the csv file and ask the player to decide which building is taller. The quiz should repeat this process for as long as the player is guessing correctly. The quiz should automatically stop when the user gives an incorrect answer. In this case, a total score (total number of correct guesses) should be displayed on the screen.

To finalise this project, you should add a menu screen giving the option for the user to decide which quiz they would like to complete.

Solution...

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