Up & Coming Weekly

February 09, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FEBRUARY 10-16, 2021 UCW 15 C Programming: FTCC offers fun ways to solve problems by JAMES HEWIN At FTCC, you can have fun while majoring in Electronics Engineering Technology. FTCC course CSC-133 C Programming provides the opportunity to have fun while solving mathematical, electronics and engineering problems. Consider the examples of a sys- tem of linear equations to solve consisting of three equations with three unknown variables. By com- puting the matrix determinants of the system of linear equations, the process to solve for the three unknown variables using basic division can begin. All these computations can easily be implemented in a concise C program. A second application is found in the area of elec- tronics. Consider a basic series circuit consisting of a battery and several resistors. Using a C program, the calculations needed to determine the voltage drops across the different resistors can be coded. Finally, as an example involving physics, given the initial velocity, acceleration and time an object travels, the total distance traversed by the object and the object's final velocity are determined sim- ply by writing and executing a C program. How is this accomplished? Let's use the example from electronics. The first step is to make sure that the requirements for the problem are well defi- ned. In this example, we are asked to calculate the voltage drops across several resistors. We must be provided with values for the battery (volts) and the different resistors (ohms). An additional require- ment is that all components must be connected in series (i.e. back-to-back). The second step involves the design of the solution to the problem. During this stage, we decide to write a C pro- gram (as opposed to other programming langua- ges) and to organize our code into small functions to accomplish intermediate tasks as well as our final computations. Implementation is the next step and really the most fun step. This step invol- ves writing the code, compiling and linking the program, and finally running the executable. During this step, errors may be encountered and must be corrected. These types of errors are nor- mally due to typos and improper syntax. Arguably the testing step is the most important of all. The inputs for the program are provided (battery and resistor values), and the outputs are verified to be correct. When the outputs are not what's expec- ted, we must return to the implementation step and edit our code. These types of errors are generally due to having implemented our solution incorrectly (i.e. the equations we used are incorrect). In reality, the implementation and testing steps are performed in a cyclical pattern (i.e. test the code, not working, edit the code, test again, etc.). The general term used for finding and fixing errors in a program is debugging. Deployment is when the program is submitted to the instructor for grading. And final- ly, maintenance occurs when the student is asked to update the program to meet new requirements or when bugs are later discovered which need to be fixed. C programming is a very useful skill not only in and of itself but also as a launching point in lear- ning other programming languages. We invite you to learn more about Electronics Engineering Technology and the many exciting opportunities awaiting you at your community college. For more information visit w w w.fay- techcc.edu. EDUCATION Gilbert's 'Rope' — a study in getting away with murder, or not by KEYURI PARAB The Gilbert Theater's latest show "Rope" premiered Jan 29. with a full house on ope- ning weekend. The crime-centered, murder- themed play brought a thrilling drama to the stage for its audience. Originally written by Patrick Hamilton in 1929, the British play was later made into a movie by the famous filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in 1948. The Gilbert's production of "Rope" runs through Feb. 14. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 with military, student, first responder and seniors. The play opens with a cold-blooded murder of a young man by the two lead actors Wyndham Brandon (played by Chris Walker) and Charles Granillo (played by Tim Zimmermann). The characters of Brandon, with his air of intellectual superiority and a temper, and Granillo with his tenderness and remorse, make quite the interesting murderous duo. The two leads decide to host a dinner party around the wooden chest where they've hidden the body. The dinner party is supposed to be an amu- sement to the duo, especially Brandon as getting away with the "perfect crime." The guests include Kenneth Reglan (played by Quentin King); Leila Arden (played by Megan Martinez); Sir Johnstone Kentley who is the father of the murder victim (played by Gabe Terry); Mrs. Debenham (played by Kathy Day); Rupert Cadell (played by Lawrence Carlisle III); and amongst them is their butler, Sabot (played by Dylan Atwood). The guests comment on the "queerness" of the evening, and the strangeness of the food being ser- ved on the wooden chest. Arden's character goes as far as to jokingly suggest the hosts are hiding a dead body in it. Cadell suggests it would be obvious stupidity to murder then host a party around the body, which seems to get under Brandon's skin. Meanwhile, filled with regret and fear, Granillo drinks his fee- lings away through the night. The characters bring forth a drama filled eve- ning, not short of laughter, suspense, thrills and some philosophical back-and-forth about murder. Suspicious and quickly picking up clues, the cle- ver Cadell lures the duo into confessing to murder and the "perfect murder'" plan that they failed at executing. The hard work of the cast and crew is ref lected in the costumes, set and acting during the two-hour, fun-filled thrill of the evening. For those looking for a drama-filled affair, "Rope" at the Gilbert Theater is one to see. For tickets visit, https://w w w.gilberttheater.com/ index.php JAMES HEWIN, Instructor, Electronics Engineering Technology, Fayetteville Technical Community College. Comments? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. (Left to right) Lawrence Carlisle III, Megan Martinez and Quentin King in "Rope." KEYURI PARAB, Editorial Assistant COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. Lawrence Carlisle III (left), the Artistic Director of the Gilbert Theater, joins the cast of "Rope." Photos by Jonathan Hornby.

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