Computer Science - SAT Prep

Hey everyone, I’m not entirely sure if this is the right sub for this kind of question, but I could really use some help. I’m a senior this year, and since I'm planning to major in Computer Science, passing my computer science exam is absolutely critical for my college applications. The catch is that my high school only offered the course in sophomore year, so I basically have to relearn everything from scratch. I feel okay about the general theory, but I’m really struggling with the math problems involving adding different number bases. If anyone would be willing to walk me through them, I can show you exactly where I'm getting stuck—I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m happy to send over photos of the specific questions, but only if someone is actually open to explaining things. Unfortunately, my teacher isn't offering any prep sessions at my school, and there aren't any tutoring centers available in my town. So, that's the situation. I really hope someone might be able to lend a hand!

So, you’re a high school graduate, supposedly heading off to study computer science, yet after four years of schooling, you can't even manage to add two numbers together when they're sitting in different bases—which, mind you, is foundational stuff covered in the very first year of freshman year. It is truly remarkable, quite frankly.

The solution is simple: just convert the numbers into the same base and then perform the addition. There you have it.

The internet is absolutely overflowing with tutorials, video lessons, blogs, and an endless supply of literature regarding number systems. These are the fundamental building blocks, and honestly, any standard American high school computer science textbook covers them in detail.

I don't see what that has to do with me applying for a Computer Science degree. It’s not my fault we barely ever covered this stuff back in high school. I never said I didn't know how to add; I just meant I could use a little extra help grasping some of the specific concepts behind it, rather than just memorizing steps. But honestly, it's frustrating when people aren't willing to lend a hand. I guess I'll just try to find some resources online.
Thanks, best 👍

Jamie Green5 said:So, you’ve just finished high school and you're heading off to study Computer Science, yet after four years of being in the classroom, you still can't wrap your head around adding two numbers from different bases? That’s basic freshman material. Honestly, it's pretty wild to see that kind of gap.

Convert all those numbers into the same base first, then just add them up. There you go—problem solved!

The internet is absolutely overflowing with video tutorials, lesson plans, blogs, and entire libraries of literature dedicated to number systems. These concepts are the bedrock of everything we do, so you'll find them tucked away in pretty much every high school computer science textbook out there.

By the way, I really hope I never become one of those people who can't spare ten minutes to help someone out, especially when you actually know how to guide them. To me, that feels pretty sad. It doesn't matter if you can find everything online with just a quick search. Would you honestly look at a stranger and say, "Hey, there are endless tutorials on English grammar online, so just go teach yourself the basics"? Maybe I'm young, but I'm not heartless. I truly hope that whenever I have the ability to lend a hand, I’ll always choose to do it.

Aaron Baker3 said:By the way, I really hope I never turn into one of those people who can't spare ten minutes to help someone out, especially when they actually know the answer. To me, that’s just pathetic. It doesn't matter if you have the entire internet at your fingertips. Are you going to tell a stranger, "Hey, everything you need to know about American history is online, so go learn the basics yourself"? Maybe I am young, but I'm not an idiot, and I hope I'll always step up to help whenever I'm able to.

Look, he helped you. You might have missed it, but he gave you the answer. Just convert it to the same base and add them up.
If you can't figure that out with the internet helping you, maybe you should consider switching to theology? You had it in school, didn't you?

These debates feel a bit childish to me. Look, I get that he should be more resourceful, but you guys didn't even give him a chance to ask. Maybe he’s actually stuck. Sometimes even Google won't save you if you're searching for the wrong solution. Knowing how to Google stuff is a legit skill. 😁

Aaron Baker3, hit me up in my DMs if you have any questions. My math and CS background from school wasn't anything special—we barely even touched other databases—but I crushed the SAT and finished my computer science degree anyway. I get what the guys are trying to say, but don't let them get in your head. You just gotta put in a little more work.. 👍

I get what everyone is saying, but honestly, if someone asks you a question, is it really that hard to spare five minutes to explain things? I mean, come on—five minutes! It’s such a small amount of time. Besides, I actually know how to handle database migrations; it's pretty straightforward, but like the previous commenter pointed out, nobody even gave me a chance to ask what the actual issue was. All in all, thanks for the "lovely" replies. You guys have once again proven how some people in this country can be incredibly rude, frustrated, and just plain stuck in their ways.
Best, 👍

Aaron Baker3 said:I get all of it, really, but if someone actually asks you a question, is it really that much trouble to just spare five minutes to explain? Seriously, five minutes. That’s basically nothing. I mean, I can refactor databases in my sleep, it’s easy enough.

The issue with your post is that long-winded intro—all that "if I may address the matter" stuff.

You should have just copy-pasted the specific block of code or the exact question that was tripping you up.
Everyone would've seen immediately how much work you'd already put in and where exactly you hit a wall. Someone might have even jumped in with an answer already.

On these forums, people usually get annoyed when someone asks for help starting from zero. But once they see you're stuck on some advanced step after doing most of the heavy lifting, they tend to be way more cooperative.

Aaron Baker3 said:Look, I’m happy to help with just about anything, but when someone asks you a question, is it really that hard to spare five minutes to explain? Seriously, five minutes. It’s nothing. I can handle database migrations in my sleep—that's easy—but like the previous guy said, nobody even gave me the chance to ask what the actual issue was. Anyway, thanks for the "lovely" responses. You guys just proved once again that people in this country can be incredibly shallow, frustrated, and just plain stuck in the mud.
Best, 👍

Don't play the victim. It's not true that you weren't given a chance to ask a question. You can literally ask one right now. I don't see a ban on your account.