ABSTRACT
Simple simulations are a particularly fertile area for interesting examples in beginning courses. Specifically, one might look for examples and assignments with considerable appeal that can be introduced in a computer science (CS) l-level course with no more than a class or two preparation. Some of these areas include: simple simulations, restating problems in new contexts, identifying problems from many domains, using real data, providing hints of real applications or research, taking advantage of a browser interface, and placing a problem within a Web-CGI context. Computations from many disciplines are within the capability of CS1/CS2 students. The challenge for CS faculty may be to find appropriate problems in other domains which might be accessible to beginning CS students. While one cannot expect to include the full complexity of real applications or CS research in introductory courses, a course can provide examples of such work.
