Write an algorithm, and a blog post explaining it.
This could become the post you submit for the third part of the coursework, “A presentation and explanation of an algorithm you have written, which uses appropriate discrete data structures to solve a computational problem”.
The algorithm you present for assessment must be one you have written; you are recommended to follow the problem-solving process outlined at the following link: https://dsaa.werp.site/post/a-problem-solving-process/
• Write an algorithm which, given a list of rectangles and a circle, finds any rectangle which intersects the circle.
◦ Explain the problem, including how the rectangles and the circle are represented as data. State the required inputs and outputs, and give examples.
◦ Explain what subproblems must be solved.
◦ Explain your algorithm, perhaps including a step-by-step example.
◦ Present your code, and refer to it in your explanation. ◦ Show the results of testing your algorithm.
After writing your algorithm you must write a blog post explaining it. A good blog post should:
• Explain what problem your algorithm solves. Specify the problem’s inputs and outputs, and give examples.
• Explain any subproblems you have identified.
• Explain how your algorithm works:
◦ What data structure(s) are used, and why?
◦ What are the key ideas?
◦ Are there any special cases which must be handled separately? ◦ It will help to work through an example step-by-step.
• Present your completed implementation of your algorithm. Don’t just give code – show how the code relates to your explanation.
• Demonstrate that you have tested your algorithm.
An excellent blog post should also:
• Evaluate your algorithm; is it a good solution? How could it be improved?
Although the algorithm you present must be your own original work, you may read and refer to information from other sources. Any information from other sources must be referenced appropriately. This doesn’t need to be a formal referencing style (e.g. Harvard) but it should be completely clear from your blog post which information came from another source, and what source it came from. For this part of the coursework, you may not use code from other sources.
Only use information from trustworthy sources – Wikipedia is actually good for data structures and algorithms, and textbooks are very likely to be correct, but e.g. answers on StackOverflow may contain errors.
Your blog post should be about 950 words long.