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(Week 10) What is the purpose of the return keyword in functions?

The purpose of the return key in functions in javascript is to call the function to stop being executed. Once the return key is executed, then the function is complete.

(Week 11) Why do we use if/else statements?

If/else statements are important in javascript code because we can code for something to either be true or false. If the statement is true, then a certain function can be called, but if the statement is false, then a different function can be called. If/else statements are very helpful for coding in javascript.

When I first opened the book and started to read the material, I genuinely thought that I understood what was happening. But then, when we were in class, it became increasingly obvious that JavaScript and coding isn’t something you can learn from reading. Application and practice matters, a lot. And even though I thought I knew what I was reading and thought that it would be very easy to do and remember every definition, it’s not. So I thought for my sake and anyone else’s I would define Values and Variables, a seemingly easy topic that I’ve been making MUCH more complex than it actually is. 

Variables: An identifier for a value. An easy way to refer to the data stored in values. I’m thinking of it like a cookie jar. The jar is a variable, it hold cookies, which are the values, and the ingredients of the cookies are the data that is stored. When naming a variable, you can really name it anything you want. However, they cannot start with a number and spaces are not allowed. 

I’ve attached a model of what I see in my mind when it comes to values and variables. 

 

 

The Turing Test is legendary in the field of AI. It was first proposed by mathematician Alan Turing in 1950. The test is used to determine if a computer has achieved human levels of intelligence. If a computer can convince a person in a text-only chat, that it is indeed a “human”, then it passes the test. 

We did this earlier in class. I don’t believe that any of us were convinced that the “human” was actually a person. 

As for one of Alan Turing’s biggest achievement: he developed a code breaking machine that helped the Allies defeat the Nazis in World War II. 

Loops are useful when you repeatedly want to run the same code, but with a different value each time it runs. There are numerous types of loops, however, “for loops” are used to loop through a block of code a number of times.

The for loop has the following syntax, or format: 

for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) {

      // code block to be executed

}

Statement 1 is executed one time before the execution of the code block.

Statement 2 defines the condition for executing the code block.

Statement 3 is executed every time after the code block has been executed.

In JavaScript, the if/else statement is known as what is called a conditional statement. Conditional statements are used to perform different actions based on different conditions.

If Statements

The “if” statement is a statement in coding that is used to instruct a block of JavaScript code to be executed if a condition is true.

Example: 

• An if statement would be written in the following format:

           if (condition) {

           // block of code to be executed if the condition is true

           }

• If you were writing a code and wanted a greeting to appear that said “Good morning!” if it was before noon, then you would write your if statement in the following format:

            if (hour < 12) {

           greeting = “Good morning!”;

           }

Else Statements

“Else” statements are used to instruct a block of code to be executed if the condition is false.

Example: 

• An else statement would be written in the following format:

          if (condition1) {

         // block of code to be executed if the condition1 is true

          } else if (condition2) {

        // block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is true

          } else {

        //  block of code to be executed if the condition1 is false and condition2 is false

          }

• If you were writing a code and wanted a greeting to appear that said “Good morning!” if it was before noon, “Good afternoon!” if it was after noon, but before 5:00PM (17:00), and “Good evening!” if it was after 17:00, then you would write your code in the following format:

Protecting yourself online and using security precautions can help protect your identity and personal information. 

Ways you can protect yourself online:

1. Using strong passwords: Passwords provide security to your accounts, keeping unauthorized users out. When creating a password, it is important to create one that is unique and does not contain any personal information that would be easily accessible for someone to find on the internet (i.e: name, family member’s name, birth date, pet’s name). Try using a mix of numbers and signs (i.e: “%”, “!”, “$”).
2. Avoid using unsecured Wi-Fi: Using unsecured Wi-Fi can make you vulnerable to hackers and hacker access. Try using a VPN, virtual private network, when you are unable to access privately secure internet access. Using a VPN will allow the date you send and receive to be encrypted, making it more difficult for hackers to intercept your network. 
3. Use two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication is a method of digital authentication that requires you to verify your identity further after entering your password into one of your accounts. Two-factor authentication may work by either sending a notification to your phone number or email, asking you to enter an additional code, or by having you answer additional security questions.

 

 

In JavaScript we can use things called if/else statements. These are used if there are more than one possible outcome of something. Similar to our English language, I could say “if you are 21 years old you can drink, or else you are too young.”. In our code we could similarly say this through writing out an if/else statement. This would look something like:

if(age>=21) {

       alert(“You are of age to drink!”);

} else {

       alert(“You are underage.”);

}

The whole basis of an if/else statement is about making true/false statements. It is writing in code something that has two outcomes or multiple if you put multiple together. It allows you to code out if one thing happens here is your outcome, and if not well this will happen. In my example, “>=” means that when the first statement, “age”, is greater that or equal to “21”, then I tell you what would happen. And this lets us know that any age below 21 means you are underage and cannot drink alcohol. 

There are many more symbols like that one to create meaning within our statements. An important one is “&&”. This is known as a logical operator that means that both our first and second statement are both going to be true. For example, saying something like I am 21 and I am over the age of 20 gives the same outcome that I am legal to drink. My two statements could be, ‘const a=21; const b>20;’. We would use && by stating ‘console.log(a=21 && b>20);’ and that would create the same outcome as before ‘expected outcome(“You are of age to drink!”)’. 

In JavaScript, we use functions to create things and perform tasks. It is an organizational tool that creates a maintainable, reusable code. Functions work to combine code together to create something and allows for it to be easily found. It groups things together and makes your code able to be used again. They are a vital part of creating any code. The function must have a name attached to it like the one from our example in class, ‘function showDistance()’. Then they contain information about what is going to happen in this function, ‘(speed, time)’. And then with this data we attach the value to it by alerting how this information will be used, ‘alert(speed * time);’. By using something called a function call, we can input actual values to this equation that we have created through our function and get real answers. This real answer is “returned” as the value of “distance” in this case. Functions are so important to creating a simple way to determine what it is you are looking to find out, or looking to create through your code. The way it is reusable is because you can attach new values to the function call and do it multiple times, getting all the answers you are looking for. 

Variables in JavaScript are items that we input into our code that contains some sort of data or value. We declare variables by writing “let” and then the variable that you want to make. However, variables do not just magically get values when you determine your variable. You must assign data or value to your variable. An example of creating a variable would be by writing, ‘let myName =’. And to create value, I could write ‘let myName = “madison”;’. The data is actually adding my name to the variable of myName. You can pretty much make your variable whatever you want as we have learned that JavaScript allows you freedom to create your own variables. 

Here are some of the rules to consider when creating a variable. They can be short, one word, or long, endless characters or words. A good place to start when creating your variable is thinking how it starts. They cannot start with a number, so begin with a letter, underscore or a dollar sign. Another good thing to remember is that they cannot have spaces, your variable must be all one word, or multiple words put together without space. And although it can’t begin with a number, there can certainly be numbers within the variable. Finally, you can use upper and lower case letters. These are the basics to get you started. 

There are many ways to protect yourself online now. There are websites where you can check whether your passwords and social media accounts have been compromised. In class we practiced how to do this by setting up accounts for websites like lastpass.com. This websites keeps track of your passwords and protects your online accounts and online identity. With online growing in the world of business, it is important that those with information online keep themselves safe. This is just one example of many. A really simple way to protect yourself from getting hacked or someone stealing your information is by choosing good passwords. Creating one with numbers, letters and symbols allows for it to be less likely for someone to guess or figure out. Also, changing your password every so often is helpful too. 

There are three types of AI, artificial intelligence. First, ANI, artificial narrow intelligence.  This AI is called narrow because it is artificial intelligence with the ability to do one specific task or has a narrow bases for it’s abilities. This allows for it to focus on one thing or one concept and just do that. Second, AGI, artificial general intelligence. This means that its almost human like in its abilities. This one is very much still developing because it is very difficult to create artificial intelligence that is able to think and act the same way a human does. But, this technology is always being improved on to one day get there. Finally, ASI, artificial super intelligence. This is not yet achieved yet, but it means that the technology can work and function better than a human. What this means is that this technology is able to do things that humans can do such as feeling emotions and create art and thoughts, but do it more efficiently than humans can. This diagram gives a little bit of information on these three types and what they are used for.