Question

*******IN PSEUDOCODE AND C++******* Program 0 (Warm-up, 40 pts): Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is comprised of four bases: (G)uanine, (C)ytosine, (A)denine and (T)hymine. Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, is different than DNA in that it contains no Thymine; thymine is replaced with something called (U)racil. For this assignment, you will create an array of 255 characters. You must start by filling the array with random characters of G, C, A and T.   You must then print out the array. Next, replace all the instances of Thymine with Uracil. Finally, you must print out the array again. In your solution, you must write at least one function that contributes to the solution. You must use the length attribute of the array in your answer.

Sample run

CATGGCGTCTTGCCAAGGCGGTTCCTTGTCTTGATGATGGCTGCGAGTTCCGAGTCGCCTTTTCTATGAGTCGCGAAGTATGCGGTCAAATTATGCTTGTCCGCTGTACTAGGCCCACGGATCTCCTCAGACAGCGTCGATGTCGGAATTCGCGGGGAGGAATACTAAACATGCTGAAGTTGATACATGTACAATTGCCGCGAACCAGGTGCACAGGGTGCCCAACGATCCATGTGGAACGAGAGCGATCTAGCC

CAUGGCGUCUUGCCAAGGCGGUUCCUUGUCUUGAUGAUGGCUGCGAGUUCCGAGUCGCCUUUUCUAUGAGUCGCGAAGUAUGCGGUCAAAUUAUGCUUGUCCGCUGUACUAGGCCCACGGAUCUCCUCAGACAGCGUCGAUGUCGGAAUUCGCGGGGAGGAAUACUAAACAUGCUGAAGUUGAUACAUGUACAAUUGCCGCGAACCAGGUGCACAGGGUGCCCAACGAUCCAUGUGGAACGAGAGCGAUCUAGCC

Answer 1

C++ code for the give problem is written below. Comments have been added to make the code comprehensible.

The code does the following in sequence:

1. Fills a array dna with random bases (characters), 'G", 'C', 'U' or 'T'.
2. Prints the dna array.
3. Using dna array, fills up another rna array except all Thymine bases gets replaced with Uracil.
4. Prints the rna array.
5. Length of array (sizeof) is used in for loops to get the length of the array for iteration.

======================================================================================

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

//Define a function getBase() which will be used to generate a random number between 1 and 4 and use it
//for returning either 'G', 'C', 'A' or 'T' using a switch statement
char getBase()
{
    //Generate a random number between 1 and 4 using rand(), remember main() has already called srand() by the time getBase() gets called from for loop
    int randNum = (rand() % 4) + 1;
    //Use switch to map to either 'G', 'C', 'A' or 'T' base and return to the caller
    switch(randNum)
    {
        case 1:
            return 'G';
            break;
        case 2:
            return 'C';
            break;
        case 3:
            return 'A';
            break;
        case 4:
            return 'T';
            break;
    }
}

int main()
{
    //Initialize two character arrays to store our random characters
    char dna[255], rna[255];
  
    //Seed the random number generator with current time so that each run will generate a different sequnce of characters
    //Just using rand() without srand() will cause the same random pattern of character sequence to be generated everytime
    srand(time(NULL));
  
    //Run a loop 255 times to generate and store 255 random characters for dna character array using getBase() function
    for(int i=0; i<sizeof(dna); i++)
        dna[i]=getBase();
  
    //Print the DNA array  
    cout << "DNA Sequence: " << dna << endl;

    //Replace all the instances of Thymine with Uracil
    for (int i=0; i<sizeof(dna); i++)
    {
        //If base is Thymine, replace with Uracil
        if(dna[i]=='T')
            rna[i]='U';
        //Else just copy the same base as of dna in rna character array
        else
            rna[i]=dna[i];
    }
  
    //Print the RNA array  
    cout << "RNA Sequence: " << rna << endl;

    return 0;
}

======================================================================================

Sample Output:

======================================================================================

DNA Sequence: AAAGCTCAGTGTTTGTGCGTGTTATTATTTTCCCCAGTCGACTCCTGCCGGCTTTTTCAAGAGCTCTGGGGAAGTTTTGGTGCTGGATCGCCACAATAATAAAGACTACTAGGGTGGCTAAGTGAAACGGGATATCGATCAACAACAAACGGCGCTATGAGCGTTTGTAGGGAA
AGTGACCTAATTACAATATTCTTAACATCGCTGGTACGCTAGAGCCTGTAGCCTTGGCTCCGGCGTTCTCCCCTATGCTGT                                                                                                      
RNA Sequence: AAAGCUCAGUGUUUGUGCGUGUUAUUAUUUUCCCCAGUCGACUCCUGCCGGCUUUUUCAAGAGCUCUGGGGAAGUUUUGGUGCUGGAUCGCCACAAUAAUAAAGACUACUAGGGUGGCUAAGUGAAACGGGAUAUCGAUCAACAACAAACGGCGCUAUGAGCGUUUGUAGGGAA
AGUGACCUAAUUACAAUAUUCUUAACAUCGCUGGUACGCUAGAGCCUGUAGCCUUGGCUCCGGCGUUCUCCCCUAUGCUGU

======================================================================================

DNA Sequence: CCTTTGTACGAATGGTTATATTGGTTTATGGGAGGCGTTCTAGTAGACACTCGGATTCCTCATTATCATGTAATCGTTCAGCTCCCGGAATGGTTAAGGCCTGTTCGACCGCAGATCTGGCTGCATTCGTACAAGCGGGCAGAGGCGAGGACTAAACCTCGCAAGTGGTGCCGT
ACGATGACCCTTTGGAAGGGTGTTGTTCGTGAGCGTCAGTGTATGTAATAAAAACACGTCGTGGGGGATGCTGTAGAGAAA                                                                                                      
RNA Sequence: CCUUUGUACGAAUGGUUAUAUUGGUUUAUGGGAGGCGUUCUAGUAGACACUCGGAUUCCUCAUUAUCAUGUAAUCGUUCAGCUCCCGGAAUGGUUAAGGCCUGUUCGACCGCAGAUCUGGCUGCAUUCGUACAAGCGGGCAGAGGCGAGGACUAAACCUCGCAAGUGGUGCCGU
ACGAUGACCCUUUGGAAGGGUGUUGUUCGUGAGCGUCAGUGUAUGUAAUAAAAACACGUCGUGGGGGAUGCUGUAGAGAAA

======================================================================================

DNA Sequence: TACAGCTTGCTGTACCCGCGTGTAGGAACCCCTTTGGTTCGTCGCACAAATCAATATCGGAACACCACGCAGGTGACCGTGTCAAGCCACCGTTAGGGAGAGGAGCGCACCAGACAAATGTCCTGTTGGCGAAGGACCTGAGAAATCCCGCCCAGCATCACCGTAGCTCGTTCA
ATCTGTTAGCGGAATGGGCGTTCGTACAAAGGCATACAGCTGCATGATCTGGTCCATAGCGCCCTGTGTTCAGAGTAAATA                                                                                                      
RNA Sequence: UACAGCUUGCUGUACCCGCGUGUAGGAACCCCUUUGGUUCGUCGCACAAAUCAAUAUCGGAACACCACGCAGGUGACCGUGUCAAGCCACCGUUAGGGAGAGGAGCGCACCAGACAAAUGUCCUGUUGGCGAAGGACCUGAGAAAUCCCGCCCAGCAUCACCGUAGCUCGUUCA
AUCUGUUAGCGGAAUGGGCGUUCGUACAAAGGCAUACAGCUGCAUGAUCUGGUCCAUAGCGCCCUGUGUUCAGAGUAAAUA