cst370-week-1- learning-journal

This week I worked on Lab 0, Homework 1, and an algorithmic puzzle that helped strengthen my understanding of both programming fundamentals and algorithmic thinking. In Lab 0, I focused on setting up my development environment correctly, compiling and running Java programs in VS Code, and following strict submission guidelines such as file naming conventions and source code–only uploads. This lab reinforced the importance of attention to detail, since small mistakes in setup or formatting can prevent programs from compiling or being graded correctly.

Homework 1 required designing a program to determine whether an input string is a palindrome. Through this assignment, I learned how to preprocess input by removing non-alphanumeric characters and ignoring letter case before applying the algorithm. I also practiced using a two-pointer technique to efficiently compare characters from both ends of a string. Additionally, the fake coin puzzle demonstrated how algorithmic strategies can reduce the number of steps needed to solve a problem. By logically dividing coins into groups and analyzing balance outcomes, the puzzle illustrated how careful decision-making can lead to optimal solutions with minimal operations.

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