Logic Question Help

OK, before you think it is homework - it is of course not, although the title of this thread may be misleading.

Actually, let me explain :
In my Introduction to programming questionaire, I've always had this :

Quote:

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8. Scenario: (30)
It is the year 2010. It is your birthday and one of your presents is a brand new
programmable robot assistant. It can do everything you instruct it do. You can even
learn it to do tasks comprising of a number of instructions. The first task you have
decided to teach it is to fetch mail.

The following are objects, which it knows, either by factory programming or through
pictures you programmed into its memory:

Hand
Couch
Table
Front door
Door handle
Front gate
Mailbox
Mailbox door
Mail

Your robot can automatically determine whether an object (like a door) is open or closed.
It is however up to you to test this in the tasks you give it.

To ensure that your robot is always safe and close by, you have decided to let it sit on the
couch whenever inactive. Thus you have to start every task from this position.
Remember also to always bring your robot back to this position when a task is finished.

Your robot is programmed to use its right hand as default. If you want to do something
with its left, you must specify “left hand”.

Your robot understands the following commands:
SIT DOWN / STAND UP
WALK TO [object]
PUT HAND ON [object]
TAKE HAND OFF [object]
PUSH UP/DOWN
OPEN/CLOSE [object]
MOVE INSIDE/OUTSIDE

Your robot has only one flow statement, which you can use in the commands you give it:
IF [condition] THEN
{statements}
END IF
For your robot to fetch the mail, it must pass the front door, go out at the front gate to
the mailbox, fetch the mail and put it on the table. The front door is usually left open
for fresh air in the house, but it sometimes shuts due to strong wind. For safety reasons
and to keep the dog from running into the street where it can be run over by cars, the
front gate must be closed every time a person or your robot enters or exits.

Write an algorithm for the robot to fetch the mail. Start your algorithm with “task fetch
mail” and end it with “end task”

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The purpose of this question is to "make" the student think logically about a scenario, and make use of limited instructions and tools to get the job done.

Now, seeing the fact that this question has been around for a while, I'd like to add another similar question ( just to reduce chances of students cheating )

Can anyone think of an idea I could use as a question for the students ¿
Sadly, I haven't had much time to put much thought into it, but that's a completely differnt story

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

after looking ur scenario from so many angles i have find out that this scenario is missing something...mmmm, may be u have forget a command that will "GRAB" mail from mailbox or maybe i have missunderstood this scenario, if that is the case i should stop immediatly writing programe codes.

Regards
Rizwan

Task fetch Mail

STAND UP
WALK TO [Front Door]
if OPEN [front Door] then

MOVE OUTSIDE
WALK TO [Mailbox]
PUT HAND ON [Mailbox Door]
PUSH UP
OPEN [Mailbox Door]
left hand
else

TAKE HAND ON [Door handle]
OPEN [Door]
TAKE HAND OFF [Door handle]
MOVE OUTSIDE
WALK TO [Mailbox]
PUT HAND ON [Mailbox Door]
PUSH UP
OPEN [Mailbox Door]
left hand
ENDIF


'''Lets suppose robot knows how to grab/collect maill
if SO then

''' New Command MOVEIN/OUT that i beleive should be there
MOVEIN PART [hand]
OPEN [hand]
PUT HAND ON [Mail]
CLOSE [hand]
MOVEOUT PART [hand]
right hand
PUSH DOWN [Mailbox handle]
CLOSE [Mailbox Door]
MOVE INSIDE
WALK TO [Front Door]
CLOSE [Front Door]
WALK TO [Table]
left hand
PUT HAND ON [Table]
OPEN [hand]
PUT HAND OFF [Mail]
PUT HAND OFF [Table]
WALK TO [Couch]
right hand
SIT DOWN
endif


end task

Well you could've had something like this :
Put hand on mail
Open hand
Close hand.

Thanks. But this is not the object of discussion. I am looking for another similar question to the above one, so that I can switch between the different exams

You've really limitted yourself because there are only a handful of nouns in the current list. Mail, Mailbox, door, and gate, are about all you have. The couch doesn't count because it is a constant starting and ending point. Furthermore, only the mail is actually moveable.

You need something else moveable on the list. Perhaps the cat...no, that would be impossible for a robot to catch without a dart gun. Perhaps bird seed and a bird feeder. Whatever the solution, you have tied yourself to one moveable object. The only other options would be to put that moveable object elsewhere, or do something like checking whether the door or gate is in a certain state, and responding by ending up in a different location. Neither of those is all that desirable, so you really need to add something else that can be fetched or moved.