Suggested Projects

Skill-Building Exercises

1. Research Sorting Algorithms:   The second sorting algorithm listed on page 86 gives the steps for a merge sort. Obtain a book on algorithms, look for some Java code that implements the merge sort algorithm, and compare it to Dumb Sort. What’s the growth rate for a merge sort algorithm? How does it compare to Dumb Sort’s growth rate?

2. Research Sorting Algorithms:   Look for an example of a bubble sort algorithm. How does the bubble sort algorithm compare to Dumb Sort? What small changes can be made to Dumb Sort to improve its performance to that of bubble sort? What percentage of improvement is obtained by making the code changes? Will it make a difference for large lists of integers?

3. Research The Java HotSpot Virtual Machine:   Visit Sun’s Java website [java.sun.com] and research the HotSpot virtual machine architecture. Become familiar with all the services the HotSpot virtual machine provides.