Basic
Programs Lab 1
Goals:
To
introduce Not Quite C programming
Increase
confidence working with computers and programming
Real
World Applications:
Program
1- Driving your car, estimating delivery times
Program
2- Light switches, elevator buttons
Create
a new folder in the “My Document’s” folder to save all files in for
the semester.
Modify
prog1.nqc (the program you opened while going through the Introduction to
NQC) so your car goes forward and backward exactly 11 inches (the gray
toolbox is about 11 inches long).
To
figure out how long it takes the car to go 11 inches, you most likely used
the “guess and check” method. We
now want you to go 8 inches using the formula distance= rate x time.
Using the formula will give an approximate answer.
Now
modify your program so your car goes forward 8 inches and then makes a 90o
turn. There are two ways
to make the car turn, try to figure them both out.
Modify
your program so that it makes a square.
Helpful
Trick
repeat
(n) // n=
number of times you want the commands to repeat
{
//the commands you want to repeat
}
Program 2 – Working with a bump sensor
Open
prog2.nqc. You will find this
program in the My Documents folder.
In order to run this program you will need to connect a bump sensor
to the RCX. This sensor is grey
with a small yellow button. On
the top of the sensor are 4 bumps with metal showing, cover these 4 bumps
with a black connector cable. The
other end of the cable goes on input #1.
You can tell it goes on input #1 because in the program the sensor is
defined as SetSensor(SENSOR_1, SENSOR_TOUCH).
Look through this program, decide what you think it will do, compile
it, download it, run it, and see if you are correct.
If
you were correct, go ahead and modify the program so your bump sensor acts
as a brake, stopping your car. Your
car should run when it is not pressed.
Modify
your program so your car hits a wall, then backs up, and turns around.
Program
3- Working with a light sensor
Now
open prog3.nqc. You don’t
need the bump sensor for this program, instead, you need a light sensor; a
light sensor is a blue block with an attached cable.
Looking at the program should tell you on what port you should put
it. You want the light sensor
to face the ground on the front of the car.
Then continue looking at the program and try to figure out what it
does. Compile it, download it,
run it and see if you are right.
More About the Light
Sensor
The
light sensor is slightly misnamed. It
doesn’t see ambient light, what it actually does is tells how much light is
reflected off a surface. At times
we may refer to this sensor as a reflective sensor for this reason.
Different amounts of light are reflected depending on the color of the
object, material of the object, lighting in the area as well as other factors.
To see how much light is being reflected press the black “view”
button on the RCX until the small carrot (^) is under the same port the light
sensor is on. You should get a
number somewhere between 0 and 100 if you don’t, try compiling, downloading
and running your program again. If
you still don’t get between 0-100 ask an assistant for help.
10.
Modify the program (if modification is necessary) to make your car run
until it sees the edge of the table and then stops.
Please be ready to catch your car so it doesn’t fall.
You may need to change the threshold to do this.
If
you have finished all of the tasks move on to Lab 2.