#codemaths: Considering different solutions as variables change

A symbolic extension to our current learning in class
I presented this as a challenge for my students today that were ready to move on from the review that others were still doing in class. All students worked on the initial question and a handful moved on to try to program the solution in #codemaths. I was happy to see that a couple of my female students were working on this and I talked to them about the movement to try and get more girls into programming in what is typically seen as a male career path--they thought that was pretty cool.

"You cannot be what you cannot see!" -@reshmasaujani on @msnbc. Great segment! pic.twitter.com/hH4VzVZ1vl
— Girls Who Code (@GirlsWhoCode) March 19, 2014

Here is the example the class worked on and the skills I went over to prepare students for what they would need to do in order to connect the Javascript to the mathematics they were applying:

What is the solution to ax+b≥c where a, b and c are any value? Are there any circumstances that cause your solution to be different?

Javascript skills needed: using the eval() function and joining a string with variable expressions.

Joining strings with variable values:

“This sentence includes the value “+b;

displays as

“This sentence includes the value 3”

when b = 3.

Using the eval() function:

You can do math using the eval() function as well:

“x>”+eval(a*b-c)

would display as

“x>-1”

when a=1, b=2 and c=3.

In this #codemaths challenge, you will want to change the variable ‘solved’ in the constraints section to output a correct solution for any inequality that may result for random variables a, b and c that is programmed in the question section.

Notice in the first line of code

if(a==0){a = 3;}

that a will be changed to 3 if it is ever equal to 0.