Wildcard!
What is, objectively, the worst text editor?
Emacs
Why do we use binary format in computers?
A circuit can be either off or on. (0 or 1)
In Java, what determines the sign of the output in a "%" operation?
The left hand value. (dividend)
What is Go?
This programming language, created in 2009 at Google, is famous for its concurrency model and mascot gopher.
Past club officers
What is, without any bias whatsoever, the best text editor?
What language is used to interact with databases?
SQL
Assuming set_a and set_b are Python variables of type set(), what will happen if I attempt to set a new variable to "set_a | set_b"?
Why is Rust suddenly so popular?
What is the club website?
bettercs.club
What program is most commonly used for version control?
Git
Metal, GLSL, and CUDA are examples of what?
GPU Programming Lanugages
Python.
def f(x = []): x.append(1); return x
I run f(); f(); f(); f().
What will be returned when I run f() again?
[1, 1, 1, 1, 1]. Default arguments are evaluated once, not per call.
What is a fundamental reason as to why quantum computing is so much more powerful than classical computing?
Qubits, or quantum bits, can represent multiple states (like 0 and 1) simultaneously through leveraging principles of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement.
When is the next club meeting?
October 22nd, 2025
Java slice
Integer a = 127, b = 127;
a == b; // true
Integer x = 128, y = 128;
x == y; // false
//Why is a==b true, but x == y false?
The "==" operator is comparing locations in memory, not values. Since a and b are within [-128,127], they share a location in memory while x and y do not.
Which language is infamous for syntax that can vary wildly between CPU architectures?
Assembly.
One leading underscore in a python module name signifies that the module is...?
(e.g. csv vs _csv)
An internal module. Such modules, as in the case of csv, may be more performant than the public module due to it being written in C (or C++).
Why did the US Government strongly encourage developers to move away from languages like C and C++ to languages like Rust, Python, Go, and C#?
The government wants developers to move to memory-safe languages in order to increase code security.
T/F: Previous members of this club that were very involved have gone to MIT, CMU, and Caltech
False. Members have gone to MIT & CMU, but we don't have any alumni that have gone/are going to Caltech (maybe you?).
int i;
int nThrows = 0;
int nSuccess = 0;
double x, y;
for (i = 0; i < 1000000 ; i++)
{
x = Math.random();
y = Math.random();
nThrows++;
if ( x*x + y*y <= 1 )
nSuccess++;
}
System.out.println(((double)nSuccess) / ((double)nThrows))
//Approximate the code slice above.
Pi/4
People who performed calculations.
Assume that Obj() is a memory-safe constructor. Which one of these C++ slices is memory safe, and why?
A. Obj hi = Obj(stuff)
hi = Obj(newStuff)
B. Obj* hi = new Obj(stuff)
hi = new Obj(newStuff)
A is memory safe.
This code slice assigns a value, then overwrites that value.
B, on the other hand, allocates memory and returns a pointer to that memory. Overwriting that pointer with another pointer does not de-allocate this memory and loses access to this memory block in the process.
Which CPU architecture have specific devices -primarily handhelds and some server sets- begun to move to, and why?
Arm CPUs are well known for their low power consumption. Power consumption is an extremely important factor in handheld devices as power is limited by batteries, which can get heavy and unwieldy when needing large amounts of power. Additionally, servers rely on GPU for most computational loads; ARM64 consumes less power than other architectures and has a high enough level of performance for servers.
What is the genus of the club's unofficial mascot?
Hydrochoerus: genus of the capybara