ENGI 1331: Exam 2 Review – Additional Practice Problems Fall 2020

Disclaimer: The problems given on the exam may not be similar to those found here. The problems below are
designed only to provide additional practice with topics (for example, for and while loops) most likely to be covered
on the exam.

Euclid’s Algorithm
One of the oldest algorithms still in common use today is called the Euclidean Algorithm (named after the ancient Greek
mathematician who first described it in c. 300 BCE). This algorithm provides an efficient method for determining the
greatest common divisor (GCD) of two integers. The greatest common divisor is the largest integer that divides two
numbers without a remainder. In this problem, you will create a function that can calculate the GCD of two integers using
Euclid’s Algorithm, and then apply that function in order to analyze a provided vector of integers.

To find the GCD of two integers 𝑎 and 𝑏 using the Euclidean Algorithm, we first find the remainder, 𝑟1 , of 𝑎 and 𝑏. (In
MATLAB we can use either the remainder function, rem(), or the modulus function, mod(), for this.)
𝑎
= 𝑞1 rem 𝑟1
𝑏
After this step, if 𝑟1 = 0, then 𝑏 is the GCD of 𝑎 and 𝑏. Instead, if 𝑟1 > 0, then we find the remainder of 𝑏 and 𝑟1 .
𝑏
= 𝑞2 rem 𝑟2
𝑟1
If 𝑟2 = 0, then 𝑟1 is the GCD of 𝑎 and 𝑏. If 𝑟2 > 0, then the algorithm continues by calculating the remainder of 𝑟1 and 𝑟2 .
𝑟1
= 𝑞3 rem 𝑟3
𝑟2
If 𝑟3 > 0, we continue this process until we find a remainder that equals 0.
𝑟2
= 𝑞4 rem 𝑟4
𝑟3
𝑟2
= 𝑞4 rem 𝑟4
𝑟3
⋮
𝑟𝑛−2
= 𝑞𝑛 rem 𝑟𝑛
𝑟𝑛−1
If 𝑟𝑛 = 0, then 𝑟𝑛−1 is the GCD of 𝑎 and 𝑏.

Task 1:
Function
Create a function called EuclidAlg that calculates the greatest common divisor of two integers using the Euclidean
Algorithm. Your will receive two integers as inputs, and will return their greatest common divisor.
Function Inputs: Function Outputs:
1. The first integer, 𝑎 1. The greatest common divisor of 𝑎 and 𝑏
2. The second integer, 𝑏

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ENGI 1331: Exam 2 Review – Additional Practice Problems Fall 2020

The function header should be formatted similarly to the following:

function out = EuclidAlg(in1, in2)

Remember you are free to use whatever variable names you want, but they must be listed in the same order as given in
the input/output lists provided above.

Task 2:
Main Script
Now that we have implemented the Euclidean Algorithm with our function, EuclidAlg, we will use it to analyze a vector
of integers. First, load the matrix of integers, IntMatrix, contained in IntMatrix.mat. Allow the user to select a column of
this matrix. Include the number of columns of the matrix in the input prompt. If the user enters a number greater than the
total number of columns, continue prompting the user until a valid column number is entered.

Task 3:
Main Script
Since we are only considering values that positive (i.e. greater than zero), check to make sure that all values in the chosen
column are positive. If a number is negative, replace it with its absolute value. If a number is zero, replace it with the sum
of the elements before and after it. (You can assume that there are no zeros in either the first or last position the column
vector.) Output to the command window the number of values that were modified.

Task 4:
Main Script
Using your function, EuclidAlg, calculate the greatest common divisor of every adjacent element of the chosen column
vector, and then store these results as a row vector. Save this vector to CommonDivisors.csv. Finally, output the second
highest value in this vector to the command window. Hint: There may be multiple occurrences of the highest value. If this
is the case, how could you determine the second largest value?

Sample Output

CommonDivisors.csv

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ENGI 1331: Exam 2 Review – Additional Practice Problems Fall 2020

A Not-So-Famous Sequence
There’s been a good deal of ruckus made in recent years about the wide array of occurrences of the Fibonacci sequence
found in nature. This particular sequence of integers, first known to Europeans through the work of the great Italian
mathematician, Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170 – c. 1240-50), can be found all over the natural world, from the arrangement
of the pines of a pine cone to the number of petals of a daisy. However, much less is known about the contributions of
Fibonacci’s older half-cousin, once removed, the mediocre mathematician Ignoramius “Velveeta” Fibonacho (c. 1130 - ?).
Fibonacho also discovered an interesting sequence of integers, which for one reason or another hasn’t quite caught on.

The so-called Fibonacho sequence can be described as follows: given two starting values, 𝐹1 and 𝐹2 , if 𝐹2 is odd, then
𝐹3 = 𝐹2 + 𝐹1 . However, if 𝐹2 is even, then 𝐹3 = 𝐹2 − 𝐹1 . This leads to the following general formula:

𝐹𝑛−1 + 𝐹𝑛−2 , if 𝐹𝑛−1 is odd

𝐹𝑛 = {
𝐹𝑛−1 − 𝐹𝑛−2 , if 𝐹𝑛−1 is even
Task 1:
Function
Create a function called Fibonacho, which, given a 1x2 vector containing the sequence’s two starting values and the
number of desired terms of the sequence, returns the Fibonacho sequence with the desired number of terms.
Function Inputs: Function Outputs:
1. The two starting values of the sequence (a 1x2 1. A Fibonacho sequence containing 𝑛 terms
vector)
2. The total number of terms of the sequence, 𝑛

The function header should be formatted similarly to the following:

function out = Fibonacho(in1, in2)

Remember you are free to use whatever variable names you want, but they must be listed in the same order as given in
the input/output lists provided above.

Task 2:
Main Script
Now that we’ve completed the Fibonacho function, let’s put it to good use. First, prompt the user to enter the starting values
of the sequence as a 1x2 vector. If the user enters a vector that does not have the correct dimensions, display a warning and
prompt the user to reenter the vector. If the user does not enter a correct vector after 3 attempts, produce an error and
terminate the program. Then prompt the user to enter the desired number of elements of the sequence. This number should
be greater than 2. If it is not, continue prompting the user until a valid value is entered.

Task 3:
Main Script
Use the Fibonacho function to construct the desired Fibonacho sequence. To analyze our sequence, we will calculate the
average of every three adjacent values. Starting with the second element of the sequence, calculate the average of the
current element, the previous element and the next element. If the average is not a whole number, replace the current
element (i.e. center element) with the average rounded either up or down, according to these rules:
 If the center element is greater than the average, then round up.
 If the center element is less than the average, then round down.

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ENGI 1331: Exam 2 Review – Additional Practice Problems Fall 2020

As you modify the sequence, keep track of the changes you make. Create a matrix that contains the modified value in
column 1, and that value’s location in column 2. Every time another element of the sequence is modified, a new row
should be added to the matrix.

Task 4:
Main Script
Save your modified sequence and the matrix of tracked changes to a .mat file named Results.mat. Finally, output the
matrix of changes to the command window, formatted as a table. Note: The table should be produced using fprintf()
within a loop. Use of the function cell2table() or any similar function is not allowed.

Sample Output

Results.mat