Question about topics coverd in Comp Sci 61A

Colleges & Universities University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>So I’ve taken AP Comp Sci and I’ve gone through the entire Simple Scheme book and did some of the exercises, and when I looked at the past year midterms for Comp Sci 61A, all the problems could be solved using the concepts learned in the Simply Scheme book. My question is since the actual textbook being used for the class is SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs), what extra concepts are we taught in Comp Sci 61A that isn’t already in the Simply Scheme book?</p>

<p>Concepts in Simply Scheme book:
Composition of functions
Functions as data
Recursion
Lists
Trees
Abstraction in general
Higher Order Procedures
Input/Output
Files I/O
Vectors</p>

<p>It seems like these are the only concepts required to complete the midterms in this class so I’m curious why the course doesn’t just use the Simply Scheme book instead of the SICP book since the SICP book contains what seems be far more than what the course seems to test you on? I’ll be taking this class this coming fall.</p>

2

<p>Looking through SICP, I believe that we went through the entirety of the first four chapters. ([SICP</a> Index](<a href=“http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-4.html#%_toc_start]SICP”>http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-4.html#%_toc_start)) Those chapters contain much more material than Simply Scheme.</p>

<p>As a side note, which midterms are you looking at? The first midterm only requires things that you can learn from Simply Scheme, but the later midterms, the final, and the projects all required more material than you listed there. Are you sure that you are looking at later material?</p>

3

<p>^It said miderms1 and midterms2 were the two exams I looked at. KK so we do go over more than just simply scheme stuff, I’m happy since the SICP book seems to have a lot of extra cool stuff that obviously wasn’t in Simply Scheme. Thank you!</p>