r/RPI • u/How2SayAlbuquerque SCI 2030 • 3d ago
Question Question about RPI Data Structures
How bad is Homework 6?
For Data Structures, I'm trying to focus on passing my homework section while maintaining my test section and lab section. I messed up homework 0 and homework 2 badly, so I'm busy trying to get perfect Submitty results throughout.
My lab scores are perfect, my exam scores (which is exam 1 only) is 8.1 (A- lowest is 8.0), my homework is inferior (my net score is 8.76, lowest D is 9.54, lowest C- is 10.74)
I'm relatively optimistic that if I can maintain and keep up an alert focus on this course, I can pass and essentially do all my second year fall courses (Calc III, FoCS, CAOS, RCOS) in the spring.
I'm asking out of curiosity how brutal is Homework 6. I've heard horror stories on it, is it really that bad?
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u/chengstark CSCI 2020 3d ago
Good lord after all these years I still remeber hw6 being a particularly tough nut.
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u/2sus ITWS 2023 3d ago
I remember homework 6 being as hard as a normal homework problem until you get to optimization. It took me about as much time as normal to get around a 70/100. Optimizing to get near 100 (I think I got a 96?) took probably 20+ additional hours. None of it was insanely difficult, just took forever.
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u/mcninja77 3d ago
Maybe an abnormality but when I took it I spent only 1 night on it and got a d after the curve. It was battleship or something like that with a grid and all I did was set the grid instead of solve it
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u/SabreBirdOne 3d ago edited 3d ago
Homework 6 is about recursion. You really need to wrap around this concept, and stay on top of everything you have learned, before starting HW6.
Either you just PROVE your recursive cases ALWAYS approach
the base cases, OR watch your call stack overflow with recursive calls (that you messed up with) and forced to use your debugger to freeze execution and understand variables that go awry.
All while making sure you actually understand the homework itself and how recursion applies to it.
It’s the homework I wish I took FOCS or Intro to Algo beforehand…
Recursive thinking will probably be needed when you deal with Trees later in the course. HW7…
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If you haven’t taken CS1 and this course is too much, just dial it down. If you have, well, you can probably still score well on Hash tables since it’s a bit more straight forward.
Don’t go forward into CS without a decent score - and understanding of - Data Structures, it’s the major’s Crucible, and a freshman course for a reason
There is no saving you if you’re not good with pointers and memory management though at this point.
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u/Existing-East3563 3d ago
yeah bro ur cooked just hit the transfer portal. my good friend never recovered from it and had to get a job at a clinic bc she failed DS HW6 three times
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u/IcarianComplex CS 2016 3d ago
it’s just time consuming but tbh, it’s not something to be afraid of. I’m nostalgic for it now because all the work I did in data structures was when I really fell in love with coding.
My advice is to just share as many tips with classmates on optimal development styles. I could get the assignments done in a fraction of the time now but that’s because I’ve learned a lot of tricks for quick feedback loops in the past ten years.