Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain when the condition of a while loop is tested and why the body might run zero times. (Guide: “Repeating while a condition holds” and “Zero iterations”; Practice question 3)
- I can say what an infinite loop is and what usually causes it. (Guide: “Infinite loops”; Practice question 8)
- I can say what an off-by-one error is and how a boundary choice causes it. (Guide: “Off-by-one errors”; Practice questions 5 and 8)
- I can explain why the loop variable ends up one step past the last value processed. (Guide: “A first loop”; Practice question 2)
Skills
- I can write a while loop with a correct initial value, condition and update. (Guide: “A first loop”; Practice question 7)
- I can trace a while loop in a table and state its output. (Guide: “Tracing a loop”; Practice questions 2 and 6)
- I can count how many times the body runs and how many times the condition is tested. (Guide: “Tracing a loop”; Practice questions 1 and 9)
- I can accumulate a total, a count or a product in a loop. (Guide: “Accumulating a result” and Worked example 1; Practice question 7)
Reasoning
- I can find and fix a loop that is infinite, off by one or never entered. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice question 8)
- I can say what initial conditions a loop needs for it to work as intended. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice question 10)
- I can choose between
<and<=by checking the first and last values. (Guide: “Off-by-one errors”; Practice question 10)
All ticked? Move on to the Topic 2.8 study guide, for Loops.