Lab 4
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Overview

The rate at which something grows along with the amount of time the growth is allowed to continue has a significant impact on the final result. A classic demonstration of exponential growth outpacing linear growth can be observed in the output produced by the solution to this laboratory assignment.

Details

Suppose you have a wealthy uncle who gives you two options for your inheritance. He will add to your inheritance every week until he dies according to one of two schemes:

  1. Starting with a given amount (such as $5000), he will add that amount to your total inheritance every week, or
  2. Starting with one penny, he will double your inheritance every week.

Option 2 will always outpace option 1 at some point in the future, but the question is when will option 2 be a better financial decision for you than option 1 and will it happen before your uncle dies?

For this lab you will be creating a game that explains the options briefly and allows a user to pick option 1 or option 2. The starting amount for option 1 should be randomly generated (such as between $0 and $5000) each time the user plays the game. Also the number of remaining weeks of life for your uncle should be randomly generated (such as between 0 and 40 weeks).

You should display the value of the inheritance for each option, each week until either:

  1. Option 2 exceeds option 1, or
  2. Your uncle dies

Lastly, you should give the user the option of playing the game again every time they see their results.

Here is an example run of the program:

[[Explanation of the program deleted - replace this with your summary]]
Enter which option you would prefer: 1
Week  1 Linear: $2193.18, Exponential: $0.01
Week  2 Linear: $4386.36, Exponential: $0.02
Week  3 Linear: $6579.54, Exponential: $0.04
Week  4 Linear: $8772.72, Exponential: $0.08
Week  5 Linear: $10965.90, Exponential: $0.16
Week  6 Linear: $13159.08, Exponential: $0.32
Week  7 Linear: $15352.26, Exponential: $0.64
Week  8 Linear: $17545.44, Exponential: $1.28
Week  9 Linear: $19738.62, Exponential: $2.56
Week 10 Linear: $21931.80, Exponential: $5.12
Week 11 Linear: $24124.98, Exponential: $10.24
Week 12 Linear: $26318.16, Exponential: $20.48
Week 13 Linear: $28511.34, Exponential: $40.96
Week 14 Linear: $30704.52, Exponential: $81.92
Week 15 Linear: $32897.70, Exponential: $163.84
Week 16 Linear: $35090.88, Exponential: $327.68
Week 17 Linear: $37284.06, Exponential: $655.36
Week 18 Linear: $39477.24, Exponential: $1310.72
Week 19 Linear: $41670.41, Exponential: $2621.44
Week 20 Linear: $43863.59, Exponential: $5242.88
Week 21 Linear: $46056.77, Exponential: $10485.76
Week 22 Linear: $48249.95, Exponential: $20971.52
Week 23 Linear: $50443.13, Exponential: $41943.04
Week 24 Linear: $52636.31, Exponential: $83886.08

Your uncle dies after 32 weeks so you
got unlucky and missed out on $21404654.73.

Do you want to play again? (1 for yes) or (0 for no)
1

[[Explanation of the program deleted - replace this with your summary]]
Enter which option you would prefer: 1
Week  1 Linear: $1873.25, Exponential: $0.01
Week  2 Linear: $3746.50, Exponential: $0.02
Week  3 Linear: $5619.75, Exponential: $0.04
Week  4 Linear: $7492.99, Exponential: $0.08
Week  5 Linear: $9366.24, Exponential: $0.16
Week  6 Linear: $11239.49, Exponential: $0.32
Week  7 Linear: $13112.74, Exponential: $0.64
Week  8 Linear: $14985.99, Exponential: $1.28
Week  9 Linear: $16859.24, Exponential: $2.56
Week 10 Linear: $18732.49, Exponential: $5.12
Week 11 Linear: $20605.74, Exponential: $10.24
Week 12 Linear: $22478.98, Exponential: $20.48
Week 13 Linear: $24352.23, Exponential: $40.96

Your uncle dies after 14 weeks so you
got lucky and ended up with an extra $26143.56.

Do you want to play again? (1 for yes) or (0 for no)
0

Just For Fun

Feel free to add additional features to make the program more interesting but be sure to complete all of the requirements first. If you have ideas to improve the program that don't comply completely with the specified requirements, consult with your instructor first.

Notes

  • You must place your program in a class called Lab4.
  • You must place your name and a short description of your program in a comment at the top of the file.
  • You must use meaningful variable names and indentation appropriate to the "good" style demonstrated in class.
  • To get the output to format with two decimal places, you can use the following code: 
    System.out.format("Week %2d Linear: $%.2f\n", numberOfWeeks, linearAmount);
  • To generate a random number between 0.0 and 1.0 you can use call the following method: Math.random().

      • Lab Deliverables

      See your professor's instructions for details on submission guidelines and due dates.
      Prof. Contino's class: See Blackboard
      Prof. Jones' class: See Blackboard
      See Dr. Dennis for instructions
      Dr. Riley's class: See Blackboard
      Dr. Taylor's class: See below
      See Prof. Thomas for instructions
      If you have any questions, consult your instructor.

      Acknowledgement

      This laboratory assignment was developed by Dr. Derek Riley.

Monday, 26-Sep-2016 12:08:50 EDT