Java
Using Applets, Graphics, and Applications
Because of its recognized strengths,
Java was selected by the Advanced Placement Computer Science board to be the
language used on exams beginning in 2003. As a result of its built-in safety
features, it was chosen by NASA to be used as the language for the Spirit and
Opportunity robots in their exploration of Mars. Java is an innovative language
that enables you to write programs that can be embedded in Internet web pages,
as well as programs that you can run on any computer.
The course is taught usi
ng the
JBuilder Integrated Development Environment; a free version of this software
will be provided to students. Both applets
and applications will be covered with
the strong 2D and 3D graphics capabilities of Java being emphasized. The
concepts of game development will be incorporated as students learn the
fundamentals of the language. Code is provided, explained, and used in a variety
of game development topics including colors and basic shapes, polygons, ellipses
and shading, images, and animation.
Throughout the course, the
instructor will discuss how Java can be used in the New Mexico Adventures in Supercomputing
contest (AiS), a competition that he has sponsored at the Academy for the
past 8 years with great success. Students will be given the opportunity to
develop a complete project that can be submitted for consideration to a sponsor
at their home school in the fall.
