The projects listed below are suggestions. You are not required to choose one of these projects, but they should give you some idea of what is expected from your semester project in terms of complexity and difficulty. Keep in mind that you will be spending the second half of the semester working on this.

Brief description

This project simulates the flight of flocks of birds. Each simulated bird follows some simple rules in choosing its location in flight and the program shows what overall formations such single-bird preferences result in. The user can control one bird to see how its movements influence the rest of the flock.

Purpose

This project lets the user test theories about how flocks of birds create their flight formations.

Brief description

This projects illustrates basic aspects of the workings of photographic lenses.

Purpose

To provide a teaching tool that lets the user explore concepts such as focussing, depth of focus, aperture.

Brief description

This project lets the user visualize binary numbers and their relation to decimal numbers by moving blocks of various sizes on the screen.

Purpose

This project allows high-school students to learn about binary numbers.

Brief description

An instruments-only flight simulator. The users flies a plane.

Purpose

Soaking up spare time of aerospace majors.

Brief description

Automatic formatting of program text ("code") can be very helpful to programmers. This project implements a formatting technique that turns

        // ------------------------------------------

        char suitToChar (Suit s)
        {
            switch (s)
            {
                case Hearts: return (char (3));
                case Diamonds: return (char (4));
                case Clubs: return (char (5));
                case Spades: return (char (6));
            }

        // ------------------------------------------

into

        // ------------------------------------------

        char suitToChar (Suit s)
        {
            switch (s)
            {
                case   Hearts: return (char (3));
                case Diamonds: return (char (4));
                case    Clubs: return (char (5));
                case   Spades: return (char (6));
            }
        }

        // ------------------------------------------

Purpose

Providing a tool for formatting programs in a way that brings out the relationships between similar successive lines.

Brief description

This project shows how heat propagates across sheets of metal. The users can specify various initial temperature values and also properties of the metal.

Purpose

Illustrating the physics of heat transfer for anyone who wants to see it.

Brief description

This project shows how objects that are connected by springs arrange themselves in space. Any number of springs can be used, of varying lengths and strengths. The user sets up the initial situation, the program then simulates what happens when the objects are let go.

Purpose

Aside from illustrating the physics of springs, this projects shows how "continuous" objects like a string or rope can be approximated by a series of small objects, like short springs.

Brief description

This project supports the designing and solving of jigsaw puzzles. For solving the puzzles it simulates a table top on which the user moves the pieces. For designing the puzzles it randomly cuts up a rectangular shape and scatters the pieces.

Purpose

Not sure.

Brief description

This project supports the solving of crossword puzzles. It provides clues for the entries that the user points to.

Purpose

Providing a convenient interface for crossword puzzle addicts.

Brief description

This project simulates a pegboard into which balls get dropped from the top and make their way to the bottom. When obstructed by a peg a ball randomly moves left or right.

Purpose

This simulation lets the user build up intuition about probability concepts.

Brief description

This project simulates the flow of traffic through a street map.

Purpose

To provide a test bed for decisions that affect traffic, such as lane closings, one-way streets, traffic light switching algorithms.

Brief description

This project simulates the spreading and mixing of colors on a canvas.

Purpose

To teach children about the effects of mixing colors.

Brief description

This project simulates the behavior of water molecules and other types of particles inside confined spaces. Various parameters can be set that affect the global behavior of the particles.

Purpose

The user can explore theories why water and sand and gases and piles of tennis balls all behave differently.

Brief description

Dendrochronology is the dating of historical events by tree rings. This project lets the user explore dendrochronology tasks by manipulating tree-ring data on the screen.

Purpose

This project allows high-school students to learn about the concepts of dendrochronology by performing tree-ring dating tasks.

Last edited (or copied to this place) at 1:10 PM, Wednesday, February 12, 1997.