TopCoder

[Aidin Kashigar]

If you do TopCoder competitions, post your handle here.

To start off, my handle is OpenGL4Dummies. I wanted to change it awhile back but they stopped allowing changes to handles

[thegoose]

Not me....I don't like the format of topcoder very much. It has too much emphasis on speed and correctness and not enough on algorithms (aka. work things out using math).

[zylum]

my handle is zylum... i've only been in about 20 srms so far so im not too good

[Aidin Kashigar]

thegoose wrote:

Not me....I don't like the format of topcoder very much. It has too much emphasis on speed and correctness and not enough on algorithms (aka. work things out using math).

lol. I guess you haven't been exposed to many 1000-point problems in TopCoder.

And what's wrong with speed? DWITE and ECOO are both about speed and no one seems to mind 8)

[bugzpodder]

bugzpodder
(what did you think it was?) 8)

[AsianSensation]

bugzpodder wrote:

bugzpodder
(what did you think it was?) 8)

l33thaxx0r teh 5th?

or even better, JohnSun?

[bugzpodder]

JohnSun?
meh
I like xxx_pornstar_xxx better (Jimmy's email, if i remember correctly )

[thegoose]

Aidin Kashigar wrote:

lol. I guess you haven't been exposed to many 1000-point problems in TopCoder.

And what's wrong with speed? DWITE and ECOO are both about speed and no one seems to mind 8)

Go read a few Polish or BOI problems and you'll think again...they got that in store for us next year (if we make it)

As far as I'm aware of, pre-university contests that emphasize speed such as DWITE and ECOO is a purely North American thing.

[bugzpodder]

since tomek[tomajz czajka], snapdragon[derek kisman], reid[Barton], PaulJefferys, JeffShute, dgarthur (David Arthur), and RalphFurmaniak are participating and they dont find it too easy, I dont see why you'll find it too easy (hats down if you can solve 1000 25% of the time). if you didnt know, most of these guys are not only IOI gold medalists, they are also IMO gold medalists, and Putnam Fellows (top5 on putnam) and ACM winners. You may remember PaulJefferys from last years IOI who got highest of all contestants. its an honor just to compete with them (and beat them occasionally ) If you find the time constraint a REALLY big issue for you, then you might as well go right for the 1000, where you will have 1hr and 15 min to solve it. but if you dont solve it... then you'll drop down very quickly actually, getting 200 points in a match is enough to keep in. so just do the easy and 1000 if you are ambitious

[HyperFlexed]

Aidin Kashigar wrote:

thegoose wrote:

Not me....I don't like the format of topcoder very much. It has too much emphasis on speed and correctness and not enough on algorithms (aka. work things out using math).

lol. I guess you haven't been exposed to many 1000-point problems in TopCoder.

And what's wrong with speed? DWITE and ECOO are both about speed and no one seems to mind 8)

I hate ECOO. It's not programming, it's "who has the guy who has AP calculus under his belt". I'm in it this year.

[thegoose]

bugzpodder wrote:

since tomek[tomajz czajka], snapdragon[derek kisman], reid[Barton], PaulJefferys, JeffShute, dgarthur (David Arthur), and RalphFurmaniak are participating and they dont find it too easy, I dont see why you'll find it too easy (hats down if you can solve 1000 25% of the time). if you didnt know, most of these guys are not only IOI gold medalists, they are also IMO gold medalists, and Putnam Fellows (top5 on putnam) and ACM winners. You may remember PaulJefferys from last years IOI who got highest of all contestants. its an honor just to compete with them (and beat them occasionally ) If you find the time constraint a REALLY big issue for you, then you might as well go right for the 1000, where you will have 1hr and 15 min to solve it. but if you dont solve it... then you'll drop down very quickly actually, getting 200 points in a match is enough to keep in. so just do the easy and 1000 if you are ambitious

I've looked through the problems of the past few SRMs. The 1000-pointers do seem quite hard for a 1.25 hour contest (especially considering that there are 2 other problems). But if we do not consider the time limit, the problems are basically well-known algorithms which might take a while to code (e.g. that linear programming one which is solved by Gauss equations).
I'm not saying that the problems are easy given the time constraints. In fact, I really don't see how I can type up the code (with out any bugs!) for some of the programs within the time limit.
I'm probably being stupid and did not find the real hard ones. Can either one of you guys (Aidin, Bugz) post a few problems that you consider really hard here? (saves me the trouble of going through that archive)

[bugzpodder]

as i said, if you can solve the 1000 25% of the time, then you rating would be around ~2600. go look at the tournaments (TCCC, TCO) for extremely hard problems. and I'd say 1000 is far beyond the standard algorithms, because if it was, as an example Aidin would solve a handful by now.

btw if you didnt realize, a small mistake that will give you 95/100 in IOI will give you 0 in topcoder.

[Andy]

aidin, are you the guy who changes tv channels with your watch that shaun's been telling me about

[thegoose]

bugzpodder wrote:

btw if you didnt realize, a small mistake that will give you 95/100 in IOI will give you 0 in topcoder.

lol....my IOI score would be 0 then Another reason I don't like topcoder/ACM.
Can you please paste the link of the 2004 TCOC problems here? I can't find it on the website (I've found the analysis though)

[bugzpodder]

two ways... click on tomek's name, log in, goto history, select the match (eg TCO 05 Championship round) select problem code, and select view problem statement. or log into arena, goto one of the practice rooms (such as TCO 05 Championship) and open a problem from there. either way, you need to log in. since the problem statement are copy righted, i dont think i am allowed to post them here.