Exercise 2
Problem Statement
A company maintains the following table to track employee information, which is already in Second Normal Form (2NF):
| Emp_ID | Emp_Name | DOB | Area | City | State | Zip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Alice | 1990-05-01 | Downtown | New York | NY | 10001 |
| 102 | Bob | 1988-08-12 | Midtown | New York | NY | 10002 |
| 103 | Charlie | 1992-11-23 | Central | Los Angeles | CA | 90001 |
| 104 | David | 1985-03-15 | West End | Chicago | IL | 60601 |
Task:
- Analyze whether the given table is in Third Normal Form (3NF).
- If the table is not in 3NF, convert it to 3NF by eliminating transitive dependencies.
Hint:
- Identify the primary key of the table.
- Determine if table is in the 2NF or not.
- Check for transitive dependencies:
- Attributes like Area, City, and State depend on Zip rather than directly on Emp_ID.
- Remove transitive dependencies by splitting the table into smaller tables.
In the next lesson, we will provide the solution to this problem.
🤖 Don't fully get this? Learn it with Claude
Stuck on Exercise 2? Open Claude, copy a block below, and it'll teach you this exact concept — visually and interactively.
🎨 Explain it visually
Build the mental picture, not memorization.
I just read a lesson on **Exercise 2** (Databases) and want to truly understand it. Explain Exercise 2 from first principles using ONE vivid real-world analogy and a visual mental model — draw it as ASCII art or a clear step-by-step diagram — with a concrete example using real numbers. Then ask me one question to check I got the mental picture, and wait for my reply. If you're unsure or a claim isn't standard, say so and reason from first principles instead of guessing.
🤔 Walk me through it (interactive)
Socratic — adapts to where you're stuck.
Teach me **Exercise 2** interactively. Ask me ONE guiding question at a time, wait for my answer, and adapt to my confusion — build the idea with me step by step instead of explaining it all at once. If you're unsure or a claim isn't standard, say so and reason from first principles instead of guessing.
🧪 Quiz me & fix my gaps
Active recall exposes what you missed.
Quiz me on **Exercise 2** with 5 questions, easy to tricky, ONE at a time. Tell me if each answer is right; at the end, explain clearly what I got wrong and why. If you're unsure or a claim isn't standard, say so and reason from first principles instead of guessing.
🧠 Make it stick
Intuition + hook + flashcards for long-term memory.
Help me remember **Exercise 2** for the long term: give the one-sentence intuition, a memorable hook/mnemonic, a tiny worked example, and 3 active-recall flashcards (Q -> A). If you're unsure or a claim isn't standard, say so and reason from first principles instead of guessing.