Assignments/Requirements

All simulation programming projects must meet these requirements.

1. Submitted as a .zip or .tar.(Z|gz|bz2) compressed archive.

   You cannot use symbolic links if providing a .zip file. If you are generating an archive from another *nix box, just use tar.

2. The archive file submitted must have one of the following in its root (top) directory:

   1. A Makefile compatible with GNU make (this is the standard make on a Linux box)

   2. A Build.sh Bourne (sh) or bash script

      This is a 400 level course in a CS program, I think it is reasonable to expect students to be able to either

      1. develop in a Unix environment

      2. transport a system independent code base¹ from Windows or MacOS X to a Unix environment.

      If you need help doing this please let me know, I'm happy to help out. In extreme cases, I could see myself allowing Windows specific sims, but I really don't want to go there...

   In either case, after running

   $ make

   or

   $ bash Build.sh

   there should be an application named SIM that is your simulator for the assignment.² That's all capitals, SIM.

3. SIM will be invoked with the appropriate command line arguments for the assignment, results required by the assignment should be printed on stdout. Any output line with an assignment required numerical result must have OUTPUT as the first word (token).

4. All numerical values required by an assignment must have whitespace (which includes end of line) around them.

5. The order for results is assignment specific and important, they must emanate from the application in the order dictated by the assignment.

6. Your submitted archive should not contain unnecessary files (.o, .pyc, *.h~, ...)

7. Files and directories that begin with an underscore are reserved for use by your instructor, TA, or grader.

   1. Your submitted archive file should not have any entries that begin with an underscore.

   2. Your SIM should not use or create files or directories that begin with an underscore.

8. (Update -- khellman 2013-09-28 13:44:44) Written answers or graphs should always be provided in a doc subdirectory.

   1. Prose should be provided in either a text file, an HTML file, or a PDF file.
   2. Graphs may be embedded in your written answers (if you provide HTML or PDF). If your answers are written in a simple text file, provide your graphs in a common raster image file format (PNG, JPEG, ...), SVG, or (preferably) PDF. Refer to the graphs by name in your answer write-up.

   3. Graphs provided for assignments without a required written component should be in appropriately named files (still, of course in doc) and should be self-explanatory on viewing.³

   4. Students may always feel free to submit a README file for any assignment, but it needs to be in doc and follow these conventions.

Example

Suppose a simulation assignment dictates:

• Your SIM should accept two arguments. The first argument is the seed for your pRNG, the second argument is the number of experimental runs.

  Your SIM should display 3 numerical results: the average theta, the minimum theta, and the median alpha across all the experimental runs.

Then all of the following outputs would be acceptable:

• $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  OUTPUT 7.43  -2.1113  7483
  $

  $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  OUTPUT 7.43
  OUTPUT -2.1113
  OUTPUT 7483
  $

  $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  OUTPUT Average theta 7.43 minimum theta -2.1113  middle alpha 7483
  $

  $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  1000 experimental runs beginning!
  ... half-way there
  ... woot! look at us go
  OUTPUT Average theta 7.43 minimum theta -2.1113
  maximum theta 32.874
  OUTPUT middle alpha 7483
  whew.
  $

  $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  OUTPUT Average theta 7.43 minimum theta -2.1113 maximum theta =32.874= middle alpha 7483
  $

But this one is not acceptable for two different reasons:

• $ ./SIM 38478 1000
  OUTPUT Median alpha=7483     Average theta=7.43     Minimum theta=-2.1113
  $