I have shown an excellent ability think and solve problems throughout the semester. Whenever I have encountered a problem or limitation, I have though of innovative and creative solutions. For example, in scratch when I was creating my tower defense game, I needed to rotate my towers towards a specific point. Because of a limitation in the scratch engine, it was not possible to do this. to work around this problem, I used an invisible sprite that would be located at that specific point. the towers would then look at that sprite, solving the problem. Another example of this strength can be seen in my fan page website. In the clicker game, I needed a way to play a gif every time I clicked an image. There is no way to do this using JavaScript. to solve this, I used a div that had hidden overflow and a sprite sheet that moved to the left in a sequence, creating the illusion of animation. All of these solutions are excellent examples of my problem solving ability.
throughout the semester I have shown an amazing ability to program, however I have struggled to stay on task continuously, often getting distracted. One strategy I have noticed helps me stay focused is listening to music. music preoccupies my mind, and drowns out external distractors. Using this strategy, I am certain that my ability to stay on task will significantly improve
One of the most formidable roadblocks I have encountered in my programming journey has been a technical limitation in JavaScript. Within my fan page assignment I have created a cookie clicker clone, in which the character spins each time it is clicked. When developing this game, I realized there was no way to sense which frame a gif was currently displaying which was integral for spinning the character only when the mouse was clicked. to work around this limitation, I had to use a more classical form of animation. I used an image with each frame beside the previous one, and moved the image to create the illusion of movement. I then used a div to hid the other frames in the animation. Using this workaround, I was able to create functionality that was otherwise impossible in JavaScript.
One of the most concise algorithms I have made in computer science is an algorithm that changed the RGB values so it would it would create a cycling rainbow effect. I needed this effect for the background of one of my projects. This seemingly simple task is deceptively complicated, involving the need to create an algorithm that could have comprised of a potential 20+ conditions. I was able to shorten this algorithm to a short 9 if statements. because of this shortening of code, I was able to modify the code much more freely to create a number of variations of this algorithm. This algorithm played an integral role in multiple of my projects and serves as a perfect example of my ability to create concise algorithms.
Throughout the course, I was able to exercise structured programming skills to solve real-life challenges. For a variety of my classes that allow me to automate tedious tasks. These include a Pythagorean theorem calculator, as well as a python script that determines the factors and prime factors of any given number. Similarly, I have created scripts to assist in science questions as well, such as a density calculator. these scripts often help me do my work, and enhance my efficiency.
Often when I encounter problems, I think of every aspect or part of the problem and how it affects the other parts. This computational thinking allows me to solve them much more efficiently and quickly. One particular example of this thinking is my approach to troubleshooting computer problems. Using my knowledge of computers, I first isolate what things could affect or cause the issue. this allows me to solve the issue much quicker, and gives me much more accurate information to search if I am not able to solve it myself.