Hi Iyce

# Q1a) Ask the user to enter a number n. Write a function to the sum of this series up to n terms.
from math import pow # The series they are talking about is a geometric series, in which the previous term is doubled. So, we can represent the next term by taking 2^(x) where x is the xth term in the series, starting with 0.
n = int(input("Enter a number: "))
total = 0
for x in range(0, n): # This loops goes through n terms starting at 0.
    if x==n-1:
        print(int(pow(2,x))) # This prints the last term without the plus sign.
    else:
        print(int(pow(2,x)), end="+") # This prints the current term followed by a plus sign for terms in the middle.
    total+= pow(2,x) # This updates the total.
print("Sum:", int(total)) # Prints the sum.

# Q1b) Ask the user to input two lists of equal size. Create a new list which interleaves the two lists and output it.
string1 = input("Please enter list 1, separated by commas: ") # First takes input as a string.
list1 = string1.split(',') # Converts first string into first list.
string2 = input("Please enter list 2, separated by commas: ") # Second string.
list2 = string2.split(',') # Converts to second list.
while (len(list2) != len(list1)): # Checks to see if lists are same length. If not, re-enter list 2.
    print("Lists are not same sizes!")
    string2 = input("Please enter list 2, separated by commas: ")
    list2 = string2.split(',')
list3 = []
for x in range(0,len(list1)): # Goes through each index in the lists.
    list3.append(list1[x]) # First appends the element in the first list.
    list3.append(list2[x]) # Then the element in the second list.
print("The combined list is:", ", ".join(list3)) # This join function takes away the brackets when printing the list and allows you to add a comma after each element in the list.

# Q2) Ask the user to enter a number n. Output the illustrated pattern depending on n as shown below.
n = int(input("Please enter a number n: "))
for x in range(int((n/2)), 0, -1): # Loops through each pattern line.
    print("*" * (x), end="")
    print("o" * (n-2*x), end="")
    print("*" * (x), end="")
    print()
print("o" * n)
for x in range (1, int((n/2)+1)): # Loops through each pattern line.
    print("*" * (x), end="")
    print("o" * (n-2*x), end="")
    print("*" * (x), end="")

# Q3) Ask the user to enter a sequence of numbers to sort. Then ask them to indicate which positions they want to not sort. Make a new list that sorts while keeping unsorted the specified ones.
# Slightly buggy...Must choose positions of unsorted numbers such that the actual numbers themselves ascend.
# Function to do insertion sort
stringunsorted = input("Please enter the numbers you want to sort, separated by commas: ") # Takes in the numbers.
list = stringunsorted.split(',') # Converts to a list.
posDoNotSort = input("Please enter the positions of the numbers you do not want to sort: ") # Takes what positions we don't want to sort.
posDoNotSort = posDoNotSort.split(',') # Converts to list
sortedposDoNotSort = sorted(posDoNotSort, key=int) # Creates a new list that orders the unsorted positions ascending.
keepTheseNumbersStill = []
for x in range(0, len(list)):
    try:
        if (list[int(sortedposDoNotSort[x])-1]):
            keepTheseNumbersStill.append(list[int(sortedposDoNotSort[x])-1])
    except:
        keepTheseNumbersStill.append(' ')
sortedlist = sorted(list, key=int)
print(sortedlist)
for x in range(0, len(sortedlist)):
    if keepTheseNumbersStill[x] != ' ':
        sortedlist.remove(keepTheseNumbersStill[x])
        sortedlist.insert(int(sortedposDoNotSort[x])-1, keepTheseNumbersStill[x])
print("Here is your modified sorted sequence:",sortedlist)