Final Programming Assignments

Introduction to Programming with MATLAB

Unless otherwise indicated, you may assume that each function will be given the correct number of inputs
and that those inputs have the correct dimensions. For example, if the input is stated to be three row
vectors of four elements each, your function is not required to determine whether the input consists of
three two-dimensional arrays, each with one row and four columns.
Unless otherwise indicated, your function should not print anything to the Command Window, but your
function will not be counted incorrect if it does.
Note that you are not required to use the suggested names of input variables and output variables, but you
must use the specified function names.
Finally, read the instructions on the web page on how to test your functions with the auto-grader program
provided, and what to submit to Coursera to get credit.
Note that starred problems, marked by ***, are harder than usual, so do not get discouraged if you have
difficulty solving them.
1. Write a function called sparse_array_out that takes two input arguments and returns one output
argument. Its first argument is a two-dimensional array of doubles, which it writes into a binary file. The
name of that file is the second argument to the function. The file must have the following format. It starts
with three uint32 scalars specifying the number of rows of the array followed by the number of columns
followed by the number of non-zero elements in the array. Then each non-zero element of the array is
represented by two uint32 scalars and a double scalar in the file in this order: its row index (uint32),
its column index (uint32), and its value (double). Note that this file format is an efficient way to store a
so-called sparse array, which is by definition an array for which the overwhelming majority of its elements
equal 0. The functions output argument is of type logical and equals false if there was a problem
opening the file and true otherwise.
2. Write a function called sparse_array_in that reads a two-dimensional array of doubles from a binary
file whose name is provided by the single input argument of the function. The format of the file is specified
in the previous problem. The function returns the two-dimensional array that it reads from the file as an
output argument. Note that if you call sparse_array_out with an array called A and then call
sparse_array_in using the same filename and save the output of the function in variable B, then A and
B must be identical. If there is a problem opening the file, the function returns an empty array.
3. Write a function called letter_counter that takes the name of a text file as input and returns the
number of letters (i.e., any of the characters, a-to-z and A-to-Z) that the file contains. HINT: You can use the
built-in function isletter. If there is a problem opening the file, the function returns -1.
WARNING: if you use the w flag with fopen, as opposed to r, you will overwrite the file.
4. Write a function called saddle that finds saddle points in the input matrix M. For the purposes of this
problem, a saddle point is defined as an element whose value is greater than or equal to every element in its
row, and less than or equal to every element in its column. Note that there may be more than one saddle
point in M. Return a matrix called indices that has exactly two columns. Each row of indices
corresponds to one saddle point with the first element of the row containing the row index of the saddle
point and the second column containing the column index. The saddle points are provided in indices in
the same order they are located in M according to column-major ordering. If there is no saddle point in M,
then indices is the empty array.

Fitzpatrick, Ledeczi, Tairas

Introduction to Programming with MATLAB

Vanderbilt University

5. Write a function called prime_pairs that returns the smallest prime number p smaller than 100,000 such
that (p + n) is also prime, where n is a scalar integer and is the sole input argument to the function. If no
such number exists, then the function returns -1. You may use the built-in functions, primes and
isprime. Note that an efficient solution to this problem, such as the one the grader uses, takes a fraction
of a second, but depending on how you do it, yours may be significantly slower.
6. *** Write a function called maxsubsum that takes a matrix A as an input, computes the sum of elements in
each of its submatrices, and finds the submatrix that has the maximum sum. (For the purposes of this
exercise, we define a submatrix as a matrix formed by a contiguous set of elements of the original matrix.) If
there are more than one with the same maximum sum, the function can pick any one of them. Note that the
entire matrix is considered to be a submatrix of itself, but because some elements of the matrix may be
negative, it may not have the maximum sum. The function is defined like this:
function [row,col,numrows,numcols,summa] = maxsubsum(A)
where row and col specify the indexes of the top left corner of the submatrix with the maximum sum,
numrows and numcols are its dimensions, and summa is the sum of its elements.
7. *** Write a function called queen_check that takes an 8-by-8 logical array called board as input. The
variable board represents a chessboard where a true element means that there is a queen at the given
position (unlike in chess, there can be up to 64 queens!), and false means that there is no piece at the
given position. The function returns true if no two queens threaten each other and false otherwise. One
queen threatens the other if they are on the same row, on the same column, or on the same diagonal.
8. *** Write a function called bell that returns the first n rows of the Bell triangle, where n is an input
argument. For a precise definition, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_triangle. The function must return
an n-by-n array where the top left triangle contains the Bell triangle with each row of the Bell triangle
positioned diagonallybottom-left-to-upper-rightand the bottom right triangle contains only zeros. If n is
not a positive integer, the function returns an empty array. As an illustration, the call bell(7) should
return this array:
1

15

52

203

877

10

37

151

674

27

114

523

20

87

409

15

67

322

52

255

203

9. *** Write a function called roman2 that takes a string input representing an integer between 1 and 399
inclusive using Roman numerals and returns the Arabic equivalent as a uint16. If the input is illegal, or its
value is larger than 399, roman2 returns 0 instead. The rules for Roman numerals can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_numerals. Use the definition at the beginning of the page under the
Reading Roman Numerals heading. In order to have unambiguous one-to-one mapping from Roman to
Arabic numbers, consider only the shortest possible roman representation as legal. Therefore, only three
consecutive symbols can be the same (IIII or VIIII are illegal, but IV and IX are fine). Also, a subtractive
notation cannot be followed by an additive one using the same symbols making strange combinations, such
as IXI for 10 or IXX for 19, illegal also.

Fitzpatrick, Ledeczi, Tairas

Introduction to Programming with MATLAB

Vanderbilt University

10. *** We start this problem with a tutorial on North Americas most popular bowling game. In it contestants
attempt to knock down as many as possible of ten pins that are standing at one end of an alley by rolling
balls at them from the other end. A bowling game consists of ten frames for each player, and each players
frame except for the tenth consists of either one or two attempts to knock down the pins. After each
players frame is complete, all ten pins are set up again. The pins knocked down by one player have no effect
on the other player. They could in fact compete on separate alleys.
Frames are of different types. A frame in which all ten pins are knocked down by the first ball is a
strike, and after a strike the second ball of the frame is omitted. A frame in which all ten pins are knocked
down with two balls (the first ball having left some standing) is a spare. A frame with fewer than ten pins
down is an open. A spare in the tenth frame earns the bowler one bonus ball for that frame, which is
simply an extra ball; a strike in the tenth earns two bonus balls, and if the first of these two extra balls
knocks everything down, all ten pins are set up again for the second ball.
A players score is computed as follows. A strike counts 10 points plus the sum of the pins knocked
down by the next two balls (which may include balls from the next two frames). A spare counts 10 points
plus the pins knocked down by the next ball. An open counts the number of pins knocked down in that
frame. A bonus ball counts the number of pins it knocked down. Consider this example game:
Frame

Pins 9

2
1

Type spare
Score

10 10

10

5
6

6
2

7
3

8
2

10

9
9

10
0

10

spare

strike

strike

open

spare

spare

strike

open

spare +
bonus

30

56

74

82

100

120

139

148

168

10

As another example, a perfect game, which is 12 strikes in a row, has the maximum possible score
300.
Write a function called bowl that takes a vector of integers specifying the sequence of pins down
after each ball and returns the final score. For example, for the frames in our example above, the input
would be [9 1 0 10 10 10 6 2 7 3 8 2 10 9 0 9 1 10] and the output would be

168. If the input is not a valid sequence for a full game, the function returns -1.

Note that some of these problems were adapted from Dr. John Dalbeys computer science class at Cal Poly.

Fitzpatrick, Ledeczi, Tairas

Introduction to Programming with MATLAB

Vanderbilt University