When you unzip the JavaMBS.zip distribution file, it creates a folder or directory called JavaMBS. That folder contains this file and the folders described below.

Code

This folder contains the source (*.java) files for the classes students will study as part of the case study. It also contains two libraries (mbsbb.jar and mbsgui.jar) of additional, pre-compiled classes required by the application. Students will need to read the documentation for some of these classes, but they do not need to understand (or even look at) their implementations.

Students will study a few classes in each chapter of the case study. The table below shows which classes are introduced in the each of the chapters of the case study; the ones in bold are the ones whose implementation or class documentation will be tested on the Advanced Placement exam.

Chapter	Classes Students Study (Code Folder)	Class Documentation Students Read	Other Classes Mentioned
1	SimpleMBSDemo1 SimpleMBSDemo2		MBSGUI (for running) BoundedEnv Fish Location SimpleMBSDisplay Simulation
2	Simulation Fish	Environment Location Direction Debug EnvDisplay Locatable RandNumGenerator	SimpleMBSDemo1 SimpleMBSDemo2 MBSGUI
3	Fish (modified)
4	DarterFish SlowFish
5 (AB)	Environment BoundedEnv UnboundedEnv	SquareEnv	MBSGUI (further testing)

DataFiles

This folder contains a number of data files that provide initial configurations for fish in an environment. Each file in this folder specifies the dimensions of a bounded environment and the initial locations and directions for a number of fish. The case study narrative directs students to use several of these files, but they are encouraged to experiment with all of them. There is another folder inside the DataFiles folder called UnboundedEnvDataFiles, used in Chapter 5.

Documentation   (Class Documentation)

This folder contains documentation for all the classes in the case study whose implementation or class documentation students study. The documentation was created using the standard javadoc documentation tool. (For those coming to Java from C++, the class documentation created by this tool is similar to the information found in C++ header files.)

ExecutionInformation

This folder contains information (or pointers to information) about compiling and running the Marine Biology Simulation in a number of common environments, including DOS and UNIX/Linux/OS X command lines, CodeWarrior, JBuilder, JCreator, and TextPad.

Narrative

This folder is currently empty, but will contain two documents once they are finalized.

• The actual case study document: This is the narrative for the Marine Biology Simulation case study. It consists of 5 chapters that introduce students to an existing program, describe modifications to it, and provide discussion questions and programming exercises for students to explore the program's design and implementation. The APCS A exam covers material in chapters 1 - 4; the AB exam covers the material in all 5 chapters. The chapters are:
  1. Experimenting with the Marine Biology Simulation (can be done early in the school year)
  2. Guided Tour of the MBS Implementation (assumes that students are comfortable with class implementations and multiple interacting classes; you may wish to cover the material in the supplementary chapter described below first)
  3. Creating a Dynamic Population (modifying the Fish class)
  4. Specialized Fish (extending the Fish class through inheritance)
  5. Environment Implementations (exploring alternative implementations for the Environment interface (AB exam only))
  Chapters 3 and 4 can be covered in either order.
• A supplementary "chapter" that focuses on some basic classes: An optional supplement to the Marine Biology Simulation case study, this document guides students through an exploration of two of the simpler classes used in the case study. It can be used considerably earlier in the school year than most of the case study itself. APCentral will provide links to other peer-reviewed materials contributed by members of the AP community that can also be used as lead-ins to the case study.