AP CSP 3.17 Exercise 2: Reasonable, Unreasonable, or Heuristic?

Big Idea 3 · Topic 3.17 · Exercise 2

Reasonable, Unreasonable, or Heuristic?

25 minutes - 5 situations - classify the growth, then rule on the strategy

Back to the Topic 3.17 lessonAll CSP topics

How this page works

The writing boxes below are yours. What you type stays in this browser, is saved here as you go, and is never sent to us or to your teacher. Hand the written work in the way your teacher asked for it.

The graded check at the bottom is the part that records to your teacher's gradebook.

The cases, from your handoutNot recorded

The same cases as your handout, in the same order.

Scenario 1 · Foundational

An app must check whether a specific username already exists in a list of n registered users by scanning the list once from the top.

Growth of the exact approach (constant / linear / square / cube / exponential / factorial):

Reasonable or unreasonable + is a heuristic appropriate here? Why or why not:

Enrichment - would faster hardware change your ruling? Why or why not:

Scenario 2 · Core

A logistics tool must find the single shortest route that visits all n delivery stops exactly once and returns to the depot, by examining every possible ordering of the stops.

Growth of the exact approach (constant / linear / square / cube / exponential / factorial):

Reasonable or unreasonable + is a heuristic appropriate here? Why or why not:

Enrichment - would faster hardware change your ruling? Why or why not:

Scenario 3 · Core

A password-audit tool tries to guarantee it can crack any n-character password by generating and testing every possible combination of characters.

Growth of the exact approach (constant / linear / square / cube / exponential / factorial):

Reasonable or unreasonable + is a heuristic appropriate here? Why or why not:

Enrichment - would faster hardware change your ruling? Why or why not:

Scenario 4 · Challenge

A gradebook must compute the average of n test scores by summing them in one pass and dividing by n.

Growth of the exact approach (constant / linear / square / cube / exponential / factorial):

Reasonable or unreasonable + is a heuristic appropriate here? Why or why not:

Enrichment - would faster hardware change your ruling? Why or why not:

Scenario 5 · Challenge

A tournament scheduler compares every team against every other team once to build a full head-to-head grid for n teams.

Growth of the exact approach (constant / linear / square / cube / exponential / factorial):

Reasonable or unreasonable + is a heuristic appropriate here? Why or why not:

Enrichment - would faster hardware change your ruling? Why or why not:

No graded check on this page yetNot recorded

About the line in your handout

Your handout says this exercise is available online and auto-graded. The exercise IS here, and it is the same work in the same order, but the auto-graded half is not written for this topic yet. Nothing on this page is scored or sent to your teacher.

Hand this in the way your teacher asked for it. Topic 1.1 has its graded check today, and the rest follow.

Get in Touch

Whether you're a student, parent, or teacher — I'd love to hear from you.

Just want free AP CS resources?

Enter your email below and check the subscribe box — no message needed. Students get daily practice questions and study tips. Teachers get curriculum resources and teaching strategies.

Typically responds within 24 hours

Message Sent!

Thanks for reaching out. I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

🏫 Welcome, fellow educator!

I offer curriculum resources, practice materials, and study guides designed for AP CS teachers. Let me know what you're looking for — whether it's classroom materials, a guest speaker, or Teachers Pay Teachers resources.

Email

[email protected]

📚

Courses

AP CSA, CSP, & Cybersecurity

Response Time

Within 24 hours

Prefer email? Reach me directly at [email protected]