March 3, 2020

Key parts of computational thinking

Decomposition
breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller parts
Pattern Recognition
looking for similarities among and within problems
Abstraction
focusing on the important parts only, ignoring irrelevant detail
Algorithm Design
developing a step-by-step solution to the problem

We use R scripts

Last semester we used RMarkdown

This semester we will use R Scripts

Be sure of understanding the difference

We are building R programs, no R documents

Last semester we built documents, like papers and slides

These are files with .Rmd extension

This semester we build programs and scripts

These are files with .R extension

Question What are “file extensions”?

Editing and Executing Code

To create a new file you use the File -> New File menu:

Executing a Single Line

To execute the line of source code where the cursor currently resides you press the Ctrl+Enter key (or use the Run toolbar button):

Executing Multiple Lines

We have seen two ways to execute multiple lines:

  • Select the lines and press the Ctrl+Enter key (or use the Run toolbar button)

  • To run the entire document press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter key (or use the Source toolbar button).

Here Source means “run all code from the file”

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are many other shortcuts available. Some of the more useful ones are:

Ctrl+Shift+N
New document
Ctrl+O
Open document
Ctrl+S
Save active document
Ctrl+1
Move focus to the Source Editor
Ctrl+2
Move focus to the Console

Bugs

Bugs

(bəɡ) noun

  1. a small insect.
    • informal a harmful microorganism, as a bacterium or virus.
  2. an insect of a large order distinguished by having mouthparts that are modified for piercing and sucking.
  3. a miniature microphone, typically concealed in a room or telephone, used for surveillance.
  4. an error in a computer program or system.

Debugging with RStudio

Debugging is designed to help you find bugs

To do this, you need to:

  • Begin running the code
  • Stop the code at the point where you suspect there is a problem
  • Walk through the code, step-by-step

Stopping on a line

Editor breakpoints

The most common way to stop on a line of code is to set a breakpoint.

You can do this by clicking to the left of the line number, or by pressing Shift+F9.

Using the debugger

Once your code stops, you will enter “debug mode”

Environment window

Usually in R you’re interacting with the “global environment”

In debug mode, RStudio shows the currently function’s environment

  • The objects you see in the Environment pane are in the current function
  • Your commands will be evaluated in the context of the function

Environment window

Code window

The code window shows you the currently executing function. The line about to execute is highlighted in yellow

Console

Console

While debugging, you’ll notice two changes to the R console

The first is that the prompt is different:

Browse[1]>

This prompt indicates that you’re inside the R environment browser.

Console

While debugging you can use all the normal commands, plus this:

  • Commands are evaluated in the current environment
    • If your function has a variable named x, typing x at the prompt will show you the value of that variable
  • Pressing Enter at the console will execute the current command and move on to the next one
  • Several special debugging commands are available

New toolbar on top of the console:

This toolbar provides buttons for debug control commands

  • There’s no difference between using the toolbar and entering the commands directly
  • learn the command shortcuts

Extra commands when debugging

Command Shortcut Description
n or Enter F10 Execute next statement
s Shift+F4 Step into function
f Shift+F6 Finish function/loop
c Shift+F5 Continue running
Q Shift+F8 Stop debugging

You can also type help at the Browse[N]> prompt

Traceback

The traceback shows you how execution reached the current point,

  • from the first function that was run (at the bottom)
  • to the function that is running now (at the top).

Stick-people in action

Stick-people can explain things well

Stick people are easy to draw

And they are useful

We like seeing people in stories

They make the message more personal

Example: Universal Modeling Language (UML)

Stick people are used in engineering

  • to define and communicate
  • who are the agents and
  • what are the possible actions

on each use case

Example: explaining “Impostor Syndrome”

XKCD Comic

Example: explaining areas of Science

XKCD Comic

There is an xkcd library for R

Creative comics with real data

library(xkcd)
gb <- read.delim("../../2018/cmb2/genbank-size.txt", stringsAsFactors=FALSE)
ratioxy <- diff(range(gb$Release))/diff(range(gb$WGS.Bases))
axes <- xkcdaxis(range(gb$Release), range(gb$WGS.Bases))
axes[[3]]$text$family <- "Humor Sans"

man1 <- xkcdman(aes(x = 140, y = 5.0e+11, scale = 8e+10, ratioxy,
        angleofspine = -1.704265, anglerighthumerus = -0.5807903,
        anglelefthumerus = 3.941945, anglerightradius = 0.0441480,
        angleleftradius = 3.222387, anglerightleg = 5.274786,
        angleleftleg = 4.349295, angleofneck = -1.820286), data=NULL)

man2 <- xkcdman(aes(x = 196, y = 2.8e+11, scale = 8e+10, ratioxy,
        angleofspine = -1.389649, anglerighthumerus = -0.2829418,
        anglelefthumerus = 3.379656, anglerightradius = 0.6164104,
        angleleftradius = 3.073443, anglerightleg = 5.116607,
        angleleftleg = 4.316328, angleofneck = -1.319579), data=NULL)

ggplot(gb, aes(Release,WGS.Bases,label="0")) + 
    geom_text(family="Humor Sans", alpha=0.8) + axes + man1 + man2 +
    theme(plot.background = element_blank()) +
    annotate("text", x=160, y=75e10, family="Humor Sans",
        label="Genbank data\nkeeps growing!") +
    xkcdline(aes(x=145, y=5e11, xend=165, yend=65e10), 
        data=NULL, xjitteramount = 10)

Faces can illustrate complex data

Invented by Herman Chernoff in 1973

  • Humans easily recognize faces and see small changes
  • We can show data in the shape of a human face
  • Eyes, ears, mouth and nose represent values by their shape, size, placement and orientation

Comics can be used to communicate science

Homework

Homework 3

I will give you a function called draw_person(size)

Your task is to write the functions draw_head(), draw_arm() and draw_leg().

Then, when you use draw_person(10), you should get a person

This is draw_person(size)

draw_person <- function(size) {
  draw_head(size*1.2)
  turtle_left(180)
  turtle_forward(size)
  turtle_left(90)
  draw_arm(size*1.5)
  turtle_left(180)
  draw_arm(size*1.5)
  turtle_left(90)
  turtle_forward(size*2)
  turtle_left(20)
  draw_leg(size*2)
  turtle_right(40)
  draw_leg(size*2)
}