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Session 2220

USE OF A MATRIX CLASS TO INTRODUCE OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING

William H. Jermann, Ph. D. Department of Electrical Engineering The University of Memphis

ABSTRACT At the end of a junior-level course called Matrix Computer Methods, students are introduced to object orientied programming through use of a user defined class called a Matrix class. The introductory example is nontrivial and illustrates differences in procedural techniques and object oriented programming.

INTRODUCTION In our introductory programming course, students develop skills in procedural programming using standard C [l]. In their first assignment, and in all subsequent assignments, they develop and use separately compiled functions. In a subsequent course called Matrix Computer Methods, they develop and use a collection of matrix functions. By the time they finish this course, they have accumulated considerable experience in using a procedural programming language. Until recently, object oriented programming using C++ was first introduced in an upper division elective. However, we found that objects that are commonly used in C++ textbooks were not very satisfying as far as illustrating object oriented programming [2] [3]. Examples of such classes are arrays, complex numbers, stacks, screen-graphic classes, and general-type concepts such as "zoo-animal" classes. We now introduce object-oriented programming at the end of the Matrix Computer Methods course using a Matrix class. The difference between object oriented techniques and procedural techniques is vividly illustrated. In the following paper, the class definitions, class methods, and operation overloading functions associated with this example are discussed. Furthermore, the Matrix class is used to develop a hierarchy of derived classes that inherit attributes from the base class.

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Jermann, W. H. (1998, June), Use Of A Matrix Class To Introduce Object Oriented Programming Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7489