Learning Zone ✕

Theory Concepts

Cryptography Computer Hardware Computer Networks Algorithms OOP Programming Binary Data Boolean Logic Database Concepts

Interactive Quizzes

View All Quizzes

GCSE Computer Science (UK)

1.1 System Architecture 1.2 Memory and Storage 1.3 Computer networks 1.4 Network security 1.5 – Systems software 1.6 – Impacts of digital technology
2.1 – Algorithms 2.2 – Programming fundamentals 2.3 – Producing robust programs 2.4 – Boolean logic 2.5 – Programming languages and IDEs

A-Level Computer Science (UK)

1.1 Contemporary processors, input, output and storage devices 1.2 Software and software development 1.3 Exchanging data 1.4 Data types, data structures and algorithms 1.5 Legal, moral, cultural and ethical issues
2.1 Elements of computational thinking 2.2 Problem solving and programming 2.3 Algorithms

Coding Challenges ✕

Python Challenges

Python Challenges - All Levels Python Challenges - Beginner Level Python Challenges - Intermediate Level Python Challenges - Advanced Level Python Turtle Challenges Solved Challenges

HTML / CSS & JavaScript

HTML / CSS & JavaScript

LMC

LMC Challenges LMC Simulator

SQL

SQL Challenges

Block Programming

BBC micro:bit Challenges Scratch Challenges

Interactive Coding Puzzles

Pirate Island Space Explorer Interactive Coding Quizzes

Online Interactive Tools ✕

Coding Tools

Online Python IDE LMC Simulator Flowchart Sudio Trace Table 101 Dashboard Difference Engine Emulator Analytical Engine Emulator

Design Tools

Network Designer Database ERD Designer

Logic Gates Circuits

Logic Gates Circuits Simulator Logic Gates Diagrams Binary Activities Karnaugh Maps

Cryptography Corner

Enigma Simulator Enigma Mission X Turing-Welchman Bombe Simulator Frequency Analysis Cipher Wheel Visual Cryptography Pigpen Cipher Encoder MRX20 Mission to Mars Cryptography Challenges

More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
post
page
◑ Python IDE Dashboard

Member's Area ✕

Register/Sign Up

Become a Member Login Your Account Solved Challenges Membership FAQ Logout

Get In Touch

About Us Contact Us Follow Us

Books Corner

101 Python Challenges 101 Extra Python Challenges

Monopoly Quiz

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Python - Intermediate, Python Challenges, Solved Challenges

monopolyFor this challenge you will create a quiz based on the game of Monopoly.

The computer will randomly display a street name from the list of streets used in the game and the user will have to guess the colour used in the game for the selected street.

The user will score one point per correct answer and will be asked to guess the colour of ten different streets, one at a time. At the end the user will be given their score out of ten.

To get you started with this challenge we have created three text files to cater for different audiences:

TextFileUK-monopoly.txt
TextFileUS-monopoly.txt
TextFileFrench-monopoly.txt

To complete this challenge you will need to read more about how to read through a CSV file.

Complete the Code


We have started the code for you but you will need to complete it to meet all the requirements of this game.

Extension Task #1


Add a menu option at the beginning to ask the user if they want to play with the UK, US or French monopoly.

Extension Task #2


Ask the user to enter their name and store their name and final score in a leaderboard text file. See leaderboard challenge.
unlock-access

Solution...

The solution for this challenge is available to full members!
Find out how to become a member:
➤ Members' Area

Equalizer Animation Using JavaScript

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, HTML, CSS & JavaScript, JavaScript, Solved Challenges

equalizerWhen your browser displays a webpage on screen it uses 3 different programming languages called HTML, CSS and JavaScript. We call the combination of these three languages “client-side web technologies”.

Each of the three language has its own syntax and purpose:

  • HTML uses <tags> and its purpose is to add content on the page such as text, pictures, and video clips.
  • CSS is used to customise the look and feel of the page by defining the position of each element on the page, defining the layout of the page as well as formatting text, pictures and other components on the page.
  • JavaScript is used to add user interaction to the page. JavaScript can be linked to HTML tags through various events such as the onClick event of a button.

In this challenge we are using JavaScript to create a frame-based animation. To do so we will use the setTimeOut() function to run our own javascript function called animate() every 50ms.

This is the line of code used to repeat the code used to refresh the equalizer every 50ms:

setTimeout(animate, 50);

Full Code

See the Pen Equalizer Animation by 101 Computing (@101Computing) on CodePen.

Your Challenge


Adapt this code to create a horizontal progress bar animation that expands from 0 to 100% progressively over 5 seconds. You can then make the animation loop by starting again at 0% when it reaches 100%.


unlock-access

Solution...

The solution for this challenge is available to full members!
Find out how to become a member:
➤ Members' Area
Tagged with: , , ,

Defragmentation Algorithm

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Computing Concepts, Python - Advanced, Python Challenges

File Allocation Table (FAT System)


A file allocation table (FAT) is a table that an operating system maintains on a hard disk that provides a map of the clusters (the basic units of logical storage on a hard disk) that a file has been stored in. When you write a new file to a hard disk, the file is stored in one or more clusters that are not necessarily next to each other; they may be rather widely scattered over the disk. A typical cluster size is 2,048 bytes, 4,096 bytes, or 8,192 bytes.

Defragmentation?


When a file is accessed, the Operating System uses the FAT table to identify all the clusters that need to be accessed to retrieve the content of the file. The more scattered the clusters are the longer it will take for the Operating System and Hard drive to retrieve the content of the file. This is why, if you hard drive is based on a FAT systems, it is recommended to use a defragmentation utility to try to reorganise how all the files are stored by trying to move the content of clusters of a single file into consecutive clusters. Defragmenting your hard drive once every six months should hence have a positive impact on the performance of your computer.

Defragmentation

On this graphic, each square represents a cluster of the hard drive and each colour represents a file.

Did you know?


With the introduction of more powerful computers and operating systems, as well as the development of more complex file systems for them, FAT is no longer the default file system for usage on Microsoft Windows computers.

FAT file systems are still commonly found on floppy disks, flash and other solid-state memory cards and modules (including USB flash drives), as well as many portable and embedded devices such as digital cameras.

Defragmentation Algorithm


The File Allocation Table is a linked list where each entry contains the cluster number, the file name and a pointer to identify the next cluster used by the file.

Cluster # File Name Pointer
0 File A 1
1 File A 2
2 File A 5
3 File B 4
4 File B x
5 File A 6
6 File A x
… … …

Let’s check this Python trinket to see how the File Allocation Table was implemented using a Python list of lists.

Challenge 1: Hard Drive Stats


Assuming that the standard cluster size is 4KB, complete the displayStats() procedure to:

  • Calculate and display the total size of the hard drive (in KB).
  • Calculate and display the total used space of the hard drive (in KB).
  • Calculate and display the total free space of the hard drive (in KB).
  • Calculate and display the total used space of the hard drive as a percentage of the total disk space.

Challenge 2: Defragmentation Algorithm


Your challenge consists of completing this code by writing the code for defragmentation() procedure that will group all the clusters of a file into consecutive clusters.

Defragmentation

Tagged with: ,

Catch Me If You Can

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Block Programming, Computer Science, Scratch

In this challenge we will create a three-player game using Scratch.

One player (the yellow ball) will be chased by two other players the red player and the blue player.

  • The red player will use the arrow keys to control their sprite.
  • The blue player will use the “WASD” keys to control their sprite.
  • The yellow player will use the mouse pointer to control their sprite.

The game will use two score variables one for the red player, one for the blue player. At the start of the game both scores will be initialized to 0. Every time a player collides with the ball their score will be incremented by 1. The ball will then be randomly moved on screen by resetting its x and y coordinates.

Scracth Code


To implement this game you will have to create three sprites and use the code provided below:

Red SpriteBlue SpriteYellow Sprite
The Red Sprite, called Red Dot, will be controlled using the arrow keys:

The Blue Sprite, called Blue Dot, will be controlled using the WASD keys:
The Yellow Sprite, called the Ball, will be controlled using the mouse pointer. it will also have a collision detection algorithm to detect if the ball has been caught by either the red sprite or the blue sprite.

Extension Task: Adding Walls/Platforms


To make this game more interesting we will add walls/obstacles that the red player, the blue player and the yellow ball will have to avoid when moving around.

Step 1: The StageRed SpriteBlue SpriteYellow Ball
Using a plain colour create a background for the stage by adding walls:

Adapt the script of your red sprite so that it cannot go through the walls:
Adapt the script of your red sprite so that it cannot go through the walls:
Adapt the script of your yellow sprite so that it cannot go through the walls:
Tagged with: ,

Recursive Tree Challenge

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Python - Intermediate, Python Challenges

Look at the code provided below use to draw a tree using a recursive function.

Recursive Function


A recursive function is an alternative to using iteration. A function is a recursive function if:

  • It includes a call to itself,
  • It has a stopping condition to stop the recursion.

In the code given below the drawTree() function is a recursive function because:

  • It includes a call to itself (on line 10 and also on line 13)
  • It has a stopping condition on line 7 (it will stop recursing when level reaches 0)

Your Challenge


Tweak the code provided above to create different versions of recursive trees. You could investigate having three branches per node instead of two or using some random attributes so that the tree becomes less symmetrical.

recursive-tree-1

Mixed Numbers Challenge

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Python - Intermediate, Python Challenges, Solved Challenges

Before completing this challenge we need to revise some Maths concepts.

Fraction = numerator / denominator


In Maths a fraction consists of two numbers: a numerator and a denominator.

What is an improper fraction?


An improper fraction is a fraction where the numerator is greater than or equal to the denominator.

For instance:
7⁄4, 12⁄10, 21⁄3 are all improper fractions.

What is a proper fraction?


A proper fraction is a fraction where the numerator is lower than to the denominator.

For instance:
7⁄9, 12⁄21, 3⁄4 are all proper fractions.

What is a mixed number?


A mixed number is a number consisting of a whole number and a proper fraction.

For instance:
31⁄2, 13⁄10, 213⁄4 are all mixed numbers.

Converting improper fractions into mixed numbers


We can easily convert an improper fraction into a mixed number by calculating the quotient and the remainder from the improper fraction.

Mixed number = Quotient Remainder⁄Denominator

For instance: Let’s convert 11⁄4 into a mixed number

Step 1: Quotient (Whole Division): 11 DIV 4 = 2
Step 2: Remainder: 11 MOD 4 = 3

11⁄4 = 2 3⁄4

Quotient & Remainder in Python?


In Python you can use the // operator to calculate the quotient of a fraction and the % operator to calculate the remainder of a fraction.

For instance:

quotient = 11 // 4
remainder = 11 % 4

Python Challenge #1


Complete the code given below to convert an improper fraction into a mixed number by:

  1. Check that the user has entered a numerator and a denominator for an improper fraction. (The numerator should be greater or equal to the denominator).
  2. Calculate and display the mixed number corresponding to the given fraction.

Python Challenge #2


Create a Python script to convert a mixed number into an improper fraction.
unlock-access

Solution...

The solution for this challenge is available to full members!
Find out how to become a member:
➤ Members' Area

Text Alignment Challenge

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Python - Intermediate, Python Challenges, Solved Challenges


This challenge focuses on the use of string manipulation techniques in order to format the output when printing text on the screen.

Step 1: Reverse Engineering


First look at the code provided above and use this code to answer the following questions:

  1. Which line of code will be executed first by the computer when you run this code?
  2. What data structure is used to store a selection of European capital cities?
  3. What is the identifier of the procedure defined in this code?
  4. How many parameters this procedure takes?
  5. What programming construct is this procedure based on? Sequencing, Selection or Iteration?
  6. What data will be stored in the itemLength variable?
  7. What is the data type for this value: String, Boolean, Integer or Float?
  8. What data will be stored in the spaces variable?
  9. What is the data type for this value: String, Boolean, Integer or Float?
  10. String concatenation is the act of joining two strings together (using the + sign). Which line of code is using string concatenation is this program?

Step 2: Complete the Code


Using a similar approach to the code given to implement the leftAlign procedure create two more procedures as follows:

  • rightAlign to display all the European capitals aligned to the right.
  • centerAlign to display all the European capitals centred on screen.

Step 3: Extension Task Task


-lorem ipsum.txt –

Write a Python program to read and display the content of the above text file:

  • Align to the left,
  • Align to the right,
  • Centred,
  • Justified,
  • Using Auto-hyphenation.
unlock-access

Solution...

The solution for this challenge is available to full members!
Find out how to become a member:
➤ Members' Area
Tagged with:

3D Printing – Name Badge

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Block Programming, Computer Science, Computing Concepts

One application of programming is to control 3D printers to create 3D models. Using a Block programming language you can create your own 3D models and export them in a format recognised by 3D Printers. In this blog you will create a 3D model of your name or initials using http://www.beetleblocks.com/.

We have To get you started we are showing the code that would be used to create two leetes: Letter C and letter A.

You will need to use a similar approach to create a 3D model of your initials or of your full name.

Letter C


3D-Printing-Letter-C

Letter A


Letter A

Students’s Code


Tagged with: ,

3D Printing: Bracelets

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Block Programming, Computer Science, Computing Concepts

One application of programming is to control 3D printers to create 3D models. Using a Block programming language you can create your own 3D models and export them in a format recognised by 3D Printers. In this blog we will create some bracelets using http://www.beetleblocks.com/.

We have made 2 Bracelets that you can easily reproduced and tweak to create your own bracelet.

Notice how both Bracelets use iteration (repeat block) which make the code very short and effective to produce a complex 3D model.

Bracelet #1


Bracelet #2


Tagged with: ,

Conway’s Game of Life

Posted on by Administrator Posted in Computer Science, Python - Advanced, Python Challenges

Game_of_life_pulsarThe “game” is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input. One interacts with the Game of Life by creating an initial configuration and observing how it evolves, or, for advanced “players”, by creating patterns with particular properties.

The universe of the Game of Life is an infinite two-dimensional orthogonal grid of square cells, each of which is in one of two possible states, alive or dead, or “populated” or “unpopulated”. Every cell interacts with its eight neighbours, which are the cells that are horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent. At each step in time, the following transitions occur:

  • Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbours dies, as if caused by underpopulation.
  • Any live cell with two or three live neighbours lives on to the next generation.
  • Any live cell with more than three live neighbours dies, as if by overpopulation.
  • Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbours becomes a live cell, as if by reproduction.

The initial pattern constitutes the seed of the system. The first generation is created by applying the above rules simultaneously to every cell in the seed—births and deaths occur simultaneously, and the discrete moment at which this happens is sometimes called a tick (in other words, each generation is a pure function of the preceding one). The rules continue to be applied repeatedly to create further generations.

You can read more about Conway’s Game of Life on wikipedia.

Python Implementation


Our Python implementation of Conway’s Game of Life lets you try different starting configurations as follows:

  • Option 1: Random configuration using a randomly generated 15×15 grid.
  • Option 2: The Glider Configuration.Glider
  • Option 3: The Toad Configuration.Toad
  • Option 4: The Beacon Configuration.Beacon
  • Option 5: The Pulsar configuration.Pulsar

Your Challenge


Compete the code provided in the trinket above to add some additional configurations such as:

  • The BlinkerBlinker
  • The PentadecathlonPentadecathlon
  • The Lightweight SpaceshipLightweight Spaceship