Lab 02

6252020 Lab 02httpstarletoninstructurecomcourses11432assignm

This assignment requires creating a Java program simulating a billing system for an Internet service provider. The program must calculate the monthly bill based on user inputs such as hours used, zip code, county, and package type, applying appropriate surcharges, discounts, and presenting the output in a formatted manner. The program should handle input validation, perform calculations using constants and variables, and display detailed billing information including savings between packages. The solution should be well-structured, commented, and include testing with representative data.

Paper For Above instruction

The exponential growth of internet services has transformed communications, commerce, and everyday life, prompting service providers to develop sophisticated billing systems that accurately reflect costs while offering competitive packages. This paper presents a comprehensive Java-based billing system for an Internet service provider, demonstrating proficiency in fundamental programming concepts such as variables, constants, input validation, decision structures, and output formatting. The system incorporates user inputs for service hours, geographic location, and package selection, calculating charges with various surcharges and discounts, and clearly displaying the detailed billing breakdown. This implementation emphasizes practical coding skills aligned with industry standards, ensuring reliability, accuracy, and user-friendly output.

The core functionality of this billing system begins with defining the constants that represent the fixed monthly costs for each service package, enabling easy updates and maintenance. The program prompts the user to enter their hours of usage, zip code, county, and package selection, performing validation at each step to prevent errors such as zero or negative hours, invalid zip codes, missing county names, or unrecognized package codes. The validation logic employs decision structures that lead to graceful termination with appropriate messages if inputs are invalid, avoiding abrupt program exits, which aligns with best practices in application design.

Once the inputs are validated, the program determines additional charges for excess hours beyond the package limits. For example, Package A provides 10 hours included, with extra hours billed at $2.00 per hour; Package B supplies 20 hours with an $1.00 per hour overage; and Package C offers unlimited access with a flat rate. The program computes these additional costs accurately, considering scenarios where usage is below or above the package limit.

A notable feature of this billing system is the inclusion of surcharges based on the customer’s zip code. The first digit of the zip code is extracted as a string, and corresponding surcharges are applied, ranging from $1.50 to $1.95. The implementation supports obtaining the zip code as a string or numeric value, with suitable processing to ensure correct surcharge calculation. This aspect demonstrates manipulation of string methods and data type considerations.

Furthermore, discounts are awarded based on the customer’s county: 5% for Comanche, 10% for Parker, and 20% for Erath counties. These discounts are calculated on the subtotal, and the final total incorporates the base charge, additional charges, surcharges, and discount adjustments. The program uses variables and constants to organize these calculations, enhancing readability and maintainability.

Output formatting is critical for clarity and professionalism. Monetary values are formatted to include a dollar sign, comma separators, and two decimal places, adhering to currency conventions. The program employs either String.format() or the DecimalFormat class to achieve this formatting, ensuring consistent and accurate presentation of financial data.

To assist users in making informed decisions, the program calculates and displays potential savings between packages, including how much customers would save if they switched packages. These savings are only shown if positive, providing meaningful insight without clutter. The code structure encourages modular design, including methods for calculations, input validation, and output formatting, which facilitates testing and debugging.

The implementation integrates input prompts, validation, calculations, and output in a logical sequence, culminating in a comprehensive and user-friendly billing display. This system demonstrates proficiency in Java programming, decision logic, string manipulation, output formatting, and handling real-world scenarios typical of service billing applications.

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