Description
1. You will develop the three Python programs described below. Each program will be in a
separate source code file (the names are given under “Assignment Deliverables”).
2. Your programs may not use sets or dictionaries.
3. Your programs may use any built-in or standard library functions.
Part A
1. The program in “proj06a.py” will read the contents of a user-selected data file and will call
2. The file named “data_full.txt” contains monthly global mean temperature deviations.
For each year, the file contains one line which identifies the year and has the global mean
temperature deviation for each of the 12 months. The first four lines of that file are:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1880 -30 -20 -18 -28 -14 -29 -23 -7 -17 -16 -19 -21
1881 -9 -13 1 -3 -4 -29 -6 -2 -8 -19 -26 -15
1882 10 9 2 -20 -17 -25 -10 4 -1 -22 -21 -24
Each value in the file is a deviation from a baseline temperature, in hundredths of a degree
Celsius. That is, in January of 1880, the global mean temperature was 0.30 degrees Celsius
cooler than the baseline value.
3. The program will allow the user to select the subset of lines in “data_full.txt” which are
to be processed. The program will prompt the user to enter a year, and it will then prompt the
user to enter an integer count. The year will identify the first year that the user wants to include
in the subset, and the integer count will identify the number of years that the user wants to
include in the subset. For example, if the user enters “1920” and “15”, the program will use the
15 years starting with 1920 and ending with 1934 as the subset.
If the user enters an integer count which is greater than the number of years available, the
program will include as many years as possible in the subset. For example, if the user enters “2010” and “90”, the program will use the 5 years starting with 2010 and ending with 2014 (the
last year in the data set) as the subset.
If the user enters “all” (any mix of upper and lower case letters) as the year, the program will
include the entire data set as the subset to be processed; it will not prompt the user to enter an
integer count.
4. The program will calculate the average temperature deviation for each year in the selected
subset: it will calculate the sum of the 12 monthly temperature deviations for that year, divide by
12, and round the resulting value to 0 decimal places.
An example: the sum of the monthly temperature deviations for 1881 is -133. That value
divided by 12 is -11.083333333333334; rounded to 0 decimal places, the result is -11. Another example: the sum of the monthly temperature deviations for 1882 is -115. That value
divided by 12 is -9.583333333333334; rounded to 0 decimal places, the result is -10.
The program will then write the year and average temperature deviation to the output file using
the format described in Part A: each line will contain a year (4 characters), a space, and a
temperature deviation (4 characters).
5. The program will display appropriate messages to inform the user about any unusual
circumstances.
Part C
1. The program in “proj06c.py” will read the file named “data_full.txt” and will display
a list of the N warmest months in the data set, where N is an integer number selected by the user.
a) The program will always read from “data_full.txt” (it will not prompt the user for the
name of the input file). If it is unable to open that file, the program will halt.
b) The program will read the contents of “data_full.txt” and will create a list of tuples,
where each tuple contains a year, a month and a temperature deviation.
c) The program will prompt the user to enter the number of months (N) which should be
included in the list of warmest months. If the user does not enter a positive integer value for N, the program will repeatedly display an appropriate message and prompt the user again (until the
user enters a positive integer value).
2. The program will display a list of the N warmest months in the data set (based on the monthly
temperature deviations). The list will be displayed in sorted order, from largest to smallest.
Each item in the list will include the year, month name and temperature deviation. For example,
the 5 warmest months in the data set are:
2007 Jan 97
2010 Mar 93
2002 Mar 91
2014 Sep 90
1998 Feb 89
The report will include a title and will be appropriately formatted.
3. The program will display appropriate messages to inform the user about any unusual
circumstances.
Assignment Notes
1. The data in “data_full.txt” is from NASA’s website and is used with permission.
2. Items 1-8 of the Coding Standard will be enforced for this project.
3. Function “draw_graph” in the file named “draw_graph.py” is complete as-is. You
should copy the source code for that function into your file named “proj06a.py”.
Suggested Procedure Solve the problem using pencil and paper first. You cannot write a program until you
have figured out how to solve the problem. This first step may be done collaboratively
with another student. However, once the discussion turns to Python specifics and the
subsequent writing of Python statements, you must work on your own. Complete the program for Part A before working on the remainder of the project. Develop a simple version of the program for Part A, then run the program and track down
any errors. Use the handin system to turn in the first version of your solution. Cycle through the steps to incrementally develop your program:
o Edit your library program to add new capabilities.
o Run the program and fix any errors.
o Use the handin system to submit the current version of your solution. Use the handin system to submit the final version of your solution. Once Part A is complete, work on Part B in the same way: incrementally develop your
program and use the handin system to submit your work. Then, work on Part C. You would be wise to back up your files on your H: drive, also. Be sure to log out when you leave the room, if you’re working in a public lab
