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Project: Overview

Plan a mini app that sorts exam scores and prints stats.

Project: Overview

In this project we build a student-score sorting and statistics application in four steps.

First a function that prepares the score array, then sorting with merge sort, then picking the top N results, and finally printing statistics.

Each lesson will include the previous lesson's solution, so the code accumulates.

Data model

The score array is an integer list such as [85, 92, 78, 90, 88]. Each lesson works on this array.

The accumulating code: init_scores, merge_sort_scores, top_k, print_stats. Each function uses the previous one's result.

This structure mirrors modular code organization in real applications.

Practice Score array

Write init_scores(). Return [85, 92, 78, 90, 88]. Print [85, 92, 78, 90, 88] with print(init_scores()).

Starter code

solution.py
def init_scores():
    # Return score array

Sample solution

solution.py
def init_scores():
    # Return score array
    return [85, 92, 78, 90, 88]
print(init_scores())

Expected output

[85, 92, 78, 90, 88]

Questions and answers

Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.

1 Project: Overview: match the terms

Term Meaning
Step 1 Score array
Step 2 Sort
Step 3 Top N
Step 4 Statistics

2 Which sort does the project use?

  • Bubble sort
  • Merge sort Correct answer
  • Selection sort
  • Quick sort

Explanation: Merge sort

3 First step

Question 
def ____(...):
Answer 
def init_scores(...):

Explanation: init_scores is right.

All lessons in Intermediate

1 Merge sort

  1. Divide and conquer
  2. Merge operation
  3. Full merge sort
  4. Summary - Merge sort

2 Quick sort

  1. Pivot selection
  2. Partitioning
  3. Recursive quick sort
  4. Summary - Quick sort

3 Heap sort

  1. What is a heap?
  2. Heapify
  3. Build heap and sort
  4. Summary - Heap sort

4 Counting sort

  1. Counting idea
  2. Count array
  3. Output array
  4. Summary - Counting sort

5 Radix sort

  1. Radix idea
  2. Digit pass
  3. Stable sub-sort
  4. Summary - Radix sort

6 Sorting project

  1. Project: Overview
  2. Score array
  3. Apply merge sort
  4. Print statistics

7 Tree

  1. What is a tree?
  2. Node and edge
  3. Binary tree
  4. Summary - Trees

8 Binary search tree

  1. BST rule
  2. BST insert
  3. BST search
  4. Summary - BST

9 AVL tree

  1. Balanced tree
  2. Rotation
  3. Balance after insert
  4. Summary - AVL tree

10 Heap

  1. Min and max heap
  2. Insert
  3. Extract
  4. Summary - Heap

11 Priority queue

  1. What is a priority queue?
  2. Heap-based implementation
  3. Push and pop
  4. Summary - Priority queue

12 Data structures project

  1. Project: Overview
  2. Undo stack
  3. Pending queue
  4. Print the state

13 Graph basics

  1. What is a graph?
  2. Adjacency list
  3. Adjacency matrix
  4. Summary - Graph

14 Breadth-first search

  1. BFS idea
  2. Using a queue
  3. Marking visited
  4. Summary - BFS

15 Depth-first search

  1. DFS idea
  2. Stack or recursion
  3. Backtracking
  4. Summary - DFS

16 Greedy algorithms

  1. Greedy approach
  2. Coin change
  3. Greedy limits
  4. Summary - Greedy

17 Divide and conquer

  1. Three steps
  2. Recursive structure
  3. Master theorem
  4. Summary - Divide and conquer

18 Backtracking

  1. What is backtracking?
  2. State tree
  3. Pruning
  4. Summary - Backtracking

19 Graph project

  1. Project: Overview
  2. City graph
  3. BFS for reachability
  4. Print the result

20 Intermediate final

  1. Challenge 1
  2. Challenge 2
  3. Challenge 3
  4. Challenge 4