Real-Life Examples of Loop Count Debugging

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔁 Loop Basics: Loops repeat a block of code. Common types include `for` and `while` loops.
• 🐞 Debugging: Finding and fixing errors in code. For loops, check the initialization, condition, and increment/decrement. For while loops, pay close attention to the loop condition, making sure it will eventually become false to terminate the loop.
• 🧮 Off-by-One Errors: Loops may execute one too many or one too few times.
• 🛑 Infinite Loops: Loops that never terminate because the condition is always true.
• 🕵️ Common Debugging Techniques: Print statements to track variable values, using a debugger to step through code, and writing unit tests.

Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following is a common cause of an infinite loop?

   1. Updating the loop counter inside the loop.
   2. Forgetting to update the loop counter.
   3. Using a `for` loop instead of a `while` loop.
   4. Using a `break` statement.

2. What is an "off-by-one" error in the context of loops?

   1. A syntax error in the loop definition.
   2. A loop that executes one too many or one too few times.
   3. An error caused by dividing by zero inside the loop.
   4. A loop that never executes.

3. You have a `for` loop iterating from 0 to 10 (inclusive). How many times will the loop body execute?

   1. 9
   2. 10
   3. 11
   4. Infinite

4. Which debugging technique is most helpful for tracking the value of a variable inside a loop?

   1. Commenting out the loop.
   2. Using print statements.
   3. Deleting the loop and rewriting it.
   4. Ignoring the variable.

5. What is the purpose of a `break` statement inside a loop?

   1. To skip to the next iteration of the loop.
   2. To terminate the loop immediately.
   3. To increment the loop counter.
   4. To reset the loop counter.

6. Consider the following pseudo-code: i = 0 while i < 5: print(i) i = i - 1 What will happen when this code is executed?

   1. The loop will execute 5 times.
   2. The loop will not execute at all.
   3. The loop will be an infinite loop.
   4. The loop will execute once.

7. What is the best way to prevent infinite loops when using `while` loops?

   1. Always use `for` loops instead.
   2. Ensure the loop condition eventually becomes false.
   3. Never use loops.
   4. Always use `break` statements.