interesting C program

[prady]

hi all,

could any one solve the following C program. If any one knows the
answer please post it

Ques:

A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

--
prady

[santosh]

In article
<ca************ *************** *******@b40g200 0prf.googlegrou ps.com>,
prady <pr*******@gmai l.comwrote on Tuesday 20 Nov 2007 8:25 pm:

hi all,

could any one solve the following C program. If any one knows the
answer please post it

This is not a homework group.

<snip absurd exercise>

[Mark Bluemel]

Previous on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, oops I meant,
comp.please.do. my.homework prady wrote:

hi all,

could any one solve the following C program. If any one knows the
answer please post it

Ques:

A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

This was discussed a while back, I personally can't see the point of the
question. I expect some perverted mind will come up with a solution, but
I wouldn't be surprised to find their solution flawed/non-portable.

[daya]

int PRINT (int N)
{
if(N>0)
PRINT (N-1);
printf("%d\n",N );
return 0;
}

[Chris Dollin]

Mark Bluemel wrote:

Previous on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, oops I meant,
comp.please.do. my.homework prady wrote:

>hi all,

could any one solve the following C program. If any one knows the
answer please post it

Ques:

A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

This was discussed a while back, I personally can't see the point of the
question.

To make the student thing & explore the possibilities ...

I expect some perverted mind will come up with a solution,

Thank you, kind sir.

but I wouldn't be surprised to find their solution flawed/non-portable.

Actually I believe it's portable and completely straightforward . Also
an utterly stupid way of printing 1-to-N lines, but that's a different
issue.

Note that I'm not saying what the solution /is/, since I too believe
that Prady will get more benefit from working out the solution themself
than from having one of us provide it.

Here's a clue: it requires functions from C's standard library.

--
Chris "cosh - no. Kosh - 'you do not understand, but you will.'" Dollin

Hewlett-Packard Limited registered no:
registered office: Cain Road, Bracknell, Berks RG12 1HN 690597 England

[Chris Dollin]

daya wrote:

int PRINT (int N)
{
if(N>0)
PRINT (N-1);
printf("%d\n",N );
return 0;
}

What part of "The function should not use while, for, do-while loops,
goto statement, /recursion/, and switch statement" [emphasis mine]
don't you understand?

[Why is `PRINT` spelled with CAPS when it's not a MACRO?]

--
Chris "my HAT isn't a MACRO either" Dollin

Hewlett-Packard Limited Cain Road, Bracknell, registered no:
registered office: Berks RG12 1HN 690597 England

[Richard Tobin]

In article <fh**********@t adcaster.hpl.hp .com>,
Chris Dollin <ch**********@h p.comwrote:

>>A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

[...]

>Actually I believe it's portable and completely straightforward . Also
an utterly stupid way of printing 1-to-N lines, but that's a different
issue.

Can you see any point to the prohibition of switch statements?

-- Richard
--
"Considerat ion shall be given to the need for as many as 32 characters
in some alphabets" - X3.4, 1963.

[Rachael]

There's the silly solution:

int i=1;
/* and then write out INT_MAX times: */
if (i<=N) {
printf("%d\n",i );
i++;
}

I once failed an interview question very similar to this, because I
couldn't imagine they were looking for such an inelegant "solution",
but they were.

[Richard]

ri*****@cogsci. ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) writes:

In article <fh**********@t adcaster.hpl.hp .com>,
Chris Dollin <ch**********@h p.comwrote:

>>>A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

[...]

>>Actually I believe it's portable and completely straightforward . Also
an utterly stupid way of printing 1-to-N lines, but that's a different
issue.

Can you see any point to the prohibition of switch statements?

-- Richard

To encourage students to think "out of the box" pretty much like any
teaching course. Most exercises given on courses have almost no
practical usage in their own right. The idea is to stimulate the student
into thinking about the language and it's features.

[Chris Dollin]

Richard Tobin wrote:

In article <fh**********@t adcaster.hpl.hp .com>,
Chris Dollin <ch**********@h p.comwrote:

>>>A C function that will print 1 to N one per each line on the
stdout , where N is a int parameter to the function. The function
should not
use while, for, do-while loops, goto statement, recursion, and switch
statement.

[...]

>>Actually I believe it's portable and completely straightforward . Also
an utterly stupid way of printing 1-to-N lines, but that's a different
issue.

Can you see any point to the prohibition of switch statements?

It might be to prevent the student from wasting their time thinking of a
way of using them; otherwise, no.

[I've now managed to turn my insight into code. Perhaps "completely
straightforward " was a little optimistic, eg there's an `if` in there
whose condition is always true ... I think there's room for improvement.]

--
Chris "and another one which isn't" Dollin

Hewlett-Packard Limited registered no:
registered office: Cain Road, Bracknell, Berks RG12 1HN 690597 England