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The Secret Recipe (Solution)

This is just one possible solution.

Don't be intimidated by the full block of code. We'll break it down piece by piece right after. This is what the finished recipe looks like.

# Module 5: We need a "kitchen gadget" (library) to generate a random number.
import random

# --- 1. The Setup (Mise en Place) ---
# Module 1: The computer chooses a secret temperature and stores it in a "prep bowl" (variable).
optimal_temperature = random.randint(300, 400)
# Module 1: We store the number of attempts in another variable.
number_of_attempts = 7

# Module 1: We use print() to display a welcome message.
print("You've discovered a secret ingredient!")
print("Let's find the perfect temperature to bake the cake.")
print(f"You have {number_of_attempts} attempts. Good luck!")
print("------------------------------------------")


# --- 2. The Baking Loop ---
# Module 4: A "for loop" is perfect for repeating a known number of times.
for attempt_number in range(1, number_of_attempts + 1):
    # --- 3. Get the User's Guess ---
    # Module 1 & 2: We get user input (which is always text) and convert it to a number (integer).
    guess = int(input(f"Attempt #{attempt_number}: Enter your guess (300-400): "))

    # --- 4. The Logic (Check the Result) ---
    # Module 3: We use "if/elif/else" to make decisions based on comparisons.
    if guess < optimal_temperature:
        print(f"Your guess of {guess}°F is too cold! The cake is gooey and undercooked. Try a higher temperature.")
    elif guess > optimal_temperature:
        print(f"Your guess of {guess}°F is too hot! The cake is burnt to a crisp! Try a lower temperature.")
    else:
        # This code runs if the guess is exactly right.
        print(f"Perfection! {guess}°F is the exact temperature. The cake is golden-brown and delicious.")
        print("You've mastered the secret ingredient!")
        # Module 4: 'break' lets us exit the loop early since we won.
        break

# --- 5. The "Game Over" Condition ---
# This part of the code only runs if the loop finishes WITHOUT a 'break'.
# This means the player ran out of tries.
else:
    print("\nOh no! You've run out of the secret ingredient.")
    print(f"The correct temperature was {optimal_temperature} degrees. Better luck next time!")

// --- 1. The Setup (Mise en Place) ---
// Module 1: The computer chooses a secret temperature and stores it in a "prep bowl" (variable).
// Math.random() is a built-in "kitchen gadget" from Module 5.
const optimalTemperature = Math.floor(Math.random() * 101) + 300; // Result is between 300 and 400
// Module 1: We store the number of attempts in another variable.
const numberOfAttempts = 7;

// Module 1: We use console.log() to display a welcome message.
console.log("You've discovered a secret ingredient!");
console.log("Let's find the perfect temperature to bake the cake.");
console.log(`You have ${numberOfAttempts} attempts. Good luck!`);
console.log("------------------------------------------");

// Module 1 & 2: A boolean variable to track if the player has won.
let hasWon = false;

// --- 2. The Baking Loop ---
// Module 4: A "for loop" is perfect for repeating a known number of times.
for (let attemptNumber = 1; attemptNumber <= numberOfAttempts; attemptNumber++) {
    // --- 3. Get the User's Guess ---
    // Module 1 & 2: We get user input (which is always text) and convert it to a number (integer).
    let guess = parseInt(prompt(`Attempt #${attemptNumber}: Enter your guess (300-400):`));

    // --- 4. The Logic (Check the Result) ---
    // Module 3: We use "if/else if/else" to make decisions based on comparisons.
    if (guess < optimalTemperature) {
        alert(`Your guess of ${guess}°F is too cold! The cake is gooey and undercooked. Try a higher temperature.`);
    } else if (guess > optimalTemperature) {
        alert(`Your guess of ${guess}°F is too hot! The cake is burnt to a crisp! Try a lower temperature.`);
    } else {
        // This code runs if the guess is exactly right.
        alert(`Perfection! ${guess}°F is the exact temperature. The cake is golden-brown and delicious. You've mastered the secret ingredient!`);
        hasWon = true; // Mark that the player has won
        // Module 4: 'break' lets us exit the loop early since we won.
        break;
    }
}

// --- 5. The "Game Over" Condition ---
// Module 3: After the loop, we use a final "if" statement to check if the player won.
// If they didn't win, it means they ran out of tries.
if (!hasWon) {
    alert(`Oh no! You've run out of the secret ingredient.\nThe correct temperature was ${optimalTemperature} degrees. Better luck next time!`);
}

Limitation of the playground

Due to limitation of the playground, we cannot run code with input on this site yet

Try copy code to run on your computer. For online playground:

Breaking Down the Recipe

Let's look at how the code works, section by section.

1. The Setup (Mise en Place)

Just like in cooking, we first prepare our ingredients. In coding, this means setting up our initial variables.

  • optimal_temperature: We use a special function to get a random number. This is our goal.
  • number_of_attempts: We store 7 in a variable so it's easy to change later if we want.
  • We then print some welcome messages to set the scene for the player.

2. The Baking Loop

We need to repeat the guessing process, and a for loop is the perfect tool for that. We tell it to run exactly number_of_attempts times. For each loop, it keeps track of the attempt_number.

3. Getting the User's Guess

Inside the loop, we ask the user for their guess. The input from a user is always treated as text (string), so we have to convert it into a number (integer) before we can do any math or comparisons with it.

4. The Logic (Checking the Result)

This is the heart of our program—a big if/elif/else (or if/else if/else) block. This is where we make decisions.

  • The if checks if the guess is less than (<) the secret number.
  • The elif/else if checks if the guess is greater than (>) the secret number.
  • If neither of those is true, the only possibility left is that the guess is equal to the secret number, so the else block runs, and the player wins!

When the player wins, we use the break command to immediately stop the loop. There's no need to keep guessing.

5. The "Game Over" Condition

What happens if the player never guesses the right number? The for loop will simply finish all of its cycles. The code after the loop is our "game over" message, which only runs if the player ran out of attempts without hitting a break.

Congratulations! You've just walked through the logic for a complete, working game. You combined all the core concepts into a fun, interactive project. Now it's your turn to be the chef—try running the code and playing it yourself!