Dear all, PLEASE READ THE QUESTION AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHY MY PROGRAM QUITS! Suppose you got yourself drunk after a night out and you are about to go home. You are so intoxicated that for every step you take there is an equal probability that you either move forward by one step, or move backward by one step. Assuming that you are at the starting position 0. If you are allowed to take exactly one step, then you either end at at positions +1 or −1. If you are allowed exactly two steps starting at position 0, then you either end up at positions −2: Take two steps back. 0: One step forward, followed by one step back; or one step backward, followed by one step forward. +2. Take two steps forward. If you are allowed exactly three steps, then you end up at positions −3, −1, 1 or 3. In general, if you are allowed to take n steps, you would end up at n + 1 different positions. Moreover, you will always end up in odd positions if n is odd, and even positions if n is even. : The getDrunk function simply performs the walk and moves forwards or backwards without regards to whether it is out of the bounds of the array. At the end of every trial, increment the final position by one. Every trial should begin at the same starting location. In the main function, you have to ensure that getDrunk receives the correct starting position in the array, such that the walk will always be within the array. Code: #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> void readValues(int *numTrials,int *numSteps); void getDrunk(int *path,int numTrials,int numSteps); void printPath(int path[],int size); int main() { int numTrials,numSteps; int path[30] = {0}; srand(123); // printf("%d\n",rand()); readValues(&numTrials,&numSteps); //printf("%d %d\n",numTrials,numSteps); getDrunk(&(path[15]),numTrials,numSteps); //printPath(path,15); system("pause > null"); return 0; } void readValues(int *numTrials,int *numSteps) { printf("Enter the num of trials and steps(strictly <= 15 )\n"); scanf("%d%d",numTrials,numSteps); return; } void getDrunk(int *path,int numTrials,int numSteps) { int i,steps,dir; for(i=0;i<numTrials;i++) { steps = rand() % numSteps; dir = rand() % 2; // 0 is back and 1 is forward if(numSteps % 2 == 0) // even { if(steps % 2 != 0) steps = steps + 1; if(dir == 0) { path = path - steps; *path = *path + 1; } else { path = path + steps; *path = *path + 1; } } else // odd { if(steps % 2 == 0) steps = steps + 1; if(dir == 0) { path = path - steps; // move back *path = *path + 1; } else { path = path + steps; *path = *path + 1; } } path = &(path[15]); // reset back to centre } return; } void printPath(int path[],int size) { int i; for(i=0;i<30;i++); { printf(" %d: "); if(path[i] > 0) { printf("%d ",path[i]); } } return; }
Hi mr xpitos, Is it a syntax error? should it be Code: path = &path[15] i am keeping the index 15 as 0(center) position.
No, it's not. Edit: Sorry, correction. Yes, it is. What will it be pointing at after you add ANOTHER 15 elements to the pointer?
It will point to another either the 30th index if path is ++ or 0th index if path is --. to reset back to the 15th index i use the code Code: path = &path[15] at the VERY END of the loop. Am I missing anything? THANKS A LOT
Why not confirm what it is doing by displaying the value of the pointer? You'll see clearly what it is doing then.
Dear Mr xpiotos, I have fixed the problem. You were right!. Code: path = &path[15] as the name path is same in both the right and left hand side of the equation, there was the problem of path pointing to some other location so what i did was i initialized a new pointer. Code: int *p = path the incoming path is pointing exactly at the 15th index which is now saved inside p. At the end to bring path to center (index 15) i used Code: path = p . and it works just fine I THINK!. At least no more bloody, annoying quitting without any reason. Please try the new code if you are free!. Code: #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> void readValues(int *numTrials,int *numSteps); void getDrunk(int *path,int numTrials,int numSteps); void printPath(int path[],int size); int main() { int numTrials,numSteps; int path[30] = {0}; int *p; // printf("%d\n",path[10]); readValues(&numTrials,&numSteps); //printf("%d %d\n",numTrials,numSteps); p = &(path[15]); getDrunk(p,numTrials,numSteps); printPath(path,30); system("pause > null"); return 0; } void readValues(int *numTrials,int *numSteps) { printf("Enter the num of trials and steps(strictly <= 15 )\n"); scanf("%d%d",numTrials,numSteps); return; } void getDrunk(int *path,int numTrials,int numSteps) { int i,steps,dir; int *p = path; for(i=0;i<numTrials;i++) { srand(i*4); steps = rand() % numSteps; dir = rand() % 2; // 0 is back and 1 is forward if(numSteps % 2 == 0) // even { if(steps % 2 != 0) steps = steps + 1; if(dir == 0) { path = path - steps; *path = *path + 1; } else { path = path + steps; *path = *path + 1; } } else // odd { if(steps % 2 == 0) steps = steps + 1; if(dir == 0) { path = path - steps; *path = *path + 1; } else { path = path + steps; *path = *path + 1; } } path = p; } return; } void printPath(int path[],int size) { int i; for(i=0;i<size;i++) { printf(" %d: ",i); if(path[i] > 0) { printf("%d ",path[i]); } else printf("0 "); printf("\n"); } return; }
Hi, Can you plz brief in how getDrunk() function works .. Along with use of steps = rand() % numSteps; dir = rand() % 2; // 0 is back and 1 is forward