Search and rescue assistance in Drone Programming - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Drone path calculation output

What is the output of this drone path calculation code snippet?

Drone Programming

def calculate_path(start, end):
    path = []
    x, y = start
    ex, ey = end
    while x != ex or y != ey:
        if x < ex:
            x += 1
        elif x > ex:
            x -= 1
        if y < ey:
            y += 1
        elif y > ey:
            y -= 1
        path.append((x, y))
    return path

print(calculate_path((0, 0), (2, 1)))

A [(1, 1), (1, 0), (2, 1)]

B [(0, 1), (1, 1), (2, 1)]

C [(1, 0), (2, 0), (2, 1)]

D [(1, 1), (2, 1)]

💡 Hint

Trace the increments of x and y carefully in the loop.

The code increments x and y towards the end point simultaneously. Starting at (0,0), x increments to 1 and y increments to 1, then x increments to 2 while y stays at 1, producing [(1,1), (2,1)].

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding drone sensor data filtering

A drone receives noisy sensor data for temperature readings. Which method best filters out sudden spikes while keeping the trend smooth?

A Apply a moving average filter over the last 5 readings

B Use the maximum value from the last 3 readings

C Take the difference between consecutive readings

D Ignore all readings below a fixed threshold

💡 Hint

Think about smoothing data to reduce noise.

A moving average filter smooths out sudden spikes by averaging recent values, preserving the overall trend better than max or difference methods.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Fix the drone battery check logic

What error does this drone battery check code raise when battery_level is 15?

Drone Programming

battery_level = 15
if battery_level > 20:
    status = 'Full'
elif battery_level > 10:
    status = 'Medium'
else:
    status = 'Low'
print(status)

A SyntaxError due to missing colon after else

B NameError because status is not defined

C TypeError from comparing int and str

D No error, prints 'Medium'

💡 Hint

Check the syntax of the else statement.

The else statement is missing a colon, causing a SyntaxError before the code runs.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

Drone search grid coverage count

What is the number of unique grid cells covered by the drone after this movement sequence?

Drone Programming

moves = ['N', 'N', 'E', 'E', 'S', 'W', 'W', 'N']
visited = set()
x, y = 0, 0
visited.add((x, y))
for move in moves:
    if move == 'N':
        y += 1
    elif move == 'S':
        y -= 1
    elif move == 'E':
        x += 1
    elif move == 'W':
        x -= 1
    visited.add((x, y))
print(len(visited))

A 8

B 6

C 7

D 9

💡 Hint

Count each unique coordinate visited after each move.

The drone visits these coordinates: (0,0), (0,1), (0,2), (1,2), (2,2), (2,1), (1,1). Total unique cells = 7.

🚀 Application

expert

Optimizing drone search pattern for battery life

Given a drone must search a rectangular area of 10x5 units and return to start, which path minimizes total distance traveled?

A Fly around the perimeter only, skipping inner area

B Fly in a zigzag pattern row by row, then return directly to start

C Fly diagonally corner to corner, then cover remaining cells randomly

D Fly in a spiral from center outward, then back to center

💡 Hint

Consider covering all cells efficiently without backtracking.

Zigzag row-by-row covers all cells systematically with minimal overlap and shortest return path, optimizing battery use.