CS210
Fall 2007

Programming Project 1

 

Date: Friday, September 28, 2007.

Due: Sunday, October 21, 2007.

 

 

A polynomial of degree n has the form

 

                               a₀ + a₁ x + a₂x² + … + a_n xⁿ

  

where a₀, a₁, …, a_n are numeric constants called the coefficients of the polynomial and a_n !=0. For example,

 

                                           1 + 3x – 7x³ + 5x⁴

 

is a polynomial of degree 4 with integer coefficients 1, 3, 0, -7 and 5.

 

One common implementation of a polynomial stores the degree of the polynomial and the list of coefficients (in order). This is the implementation to be used in the exercises that follow.

 

Work in groups of 2-3 students to:

 

1.    Build a complete List class, using a array-based implementation, as described in class. For basic operations it should have a constructor, destructor, copy constructor, assignment and the basic list operations: empty, traverse, and insert.

2.    Write a declaration for the polynomial class whose data members are an integer for the degree and an array for the list of coefficients with basic operations for input, addition, evaluation and output.

3.    Implement the input operation in exercise 2.

4.    Implement the output operation in exercise 2. Display the polynomial in the usual mathematical format with xⁿ displayed as x^n.

5.    Add an addition operation to the polynomial class.

6.    Implement the evaluate operation that allows the user to enter a value for x and that calculates the value of the polynomial for that value.

7.    Use the Polynomial class developed above in a menu-driven program for processing polynomials. Options on the menu should include reading a polynomial, printing a polynomial adding two polynomials and evaluating a polynomial for a given value for the variable.