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Subgoals

Section 10.11 Worked Example: Arrays - Sum

Subgoals for Evaluating Arrays.

  1. Set up array from 0 to size-1
  2. Evaluate data type of statements against array
  3. Trace statements, updating slots as you go
    1. Remember assignment subgoals

Subsection 10.11.1

You can watch this video or read through the content below it.
Problem: Assume that the integer array alpha has been properly declared and is full of data values. Evaluate these statements and determine the value of sum. If any error occurs, give the reason.
int sum = 0;

for (int i = 0; i < alpha.length; i++) {
sum += alpha[i];
}

Subsection 10.11.2 SG1: Set up array from 0 to size-1

Figure 10.11.1.
  • alpha is an array of ints and has values, but we don’t know what those values are
  • however, we can still diagram a representation of this array
  • notice that the largest index is size - 1

Subsection 10.11.3 SG2: Evaluate data type of statements against array 

for (int i = 0; i < alpha.length; i++) {
   sum += alpha[i];
}
  • This loop has index i go from 0 to size - 1 (<length) by increments of 1.
  • Then the value at alpha[i] is added to sum.
  • All indexes into the array are valid, and all assignments are valid.

Subsection 10.11.4 SG3: Trace statements, updating slots as you go

Let us trace with a sample array.
Figure 10.11.2.
The first line of the code sample initializes sum to a have a value of zero, and then a for-loop is used to traverse the array. The chart below uses one line to represent the memory and calculations during each iteration of the loop, starting when i has a value of zero.
Figure 10.11.3.
The final value of sum is 59, which s the sum of all values in the array.
The more general answer to the original question is: “sum contains the sum of all the values in the array alpha.”

Subsection 10.11.5 Practice Pages

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