*

CPS 149S: Problem Solving Seminar

Problem Solving Seminar: Programming Contest Practice

[ Overview | Syllabus | Assignments | Grades | People | Code ]

* Professors
Owen Astrachan
Susan Rodger


Course Overview

From the Course Catalog

Techniques for attacking, solving, and writing computer programs for challenging computational problems. Algorithmic and Programming Language toolkits.

What the course is about

The course is intended to provide practice for participation in the ACM programming contest. The regional contest will be held on November 16th at several sites, this year Duke is a site. People in CPS 149S are expected to participate in the contest. The top two teams in the region go to the world finals. This year's finals will be held in San Jose, CA on March 2, 1997.


Syllabus

Each week three problems will be assigned. We anticipate ten weeks of problems (with some time off for fall break and for the regional contest). Thus a total of 30 problems will be assigned. We will try to make one of the problems each week a challenge. The other two problems will be easier, but still require an effort to get completely correct.


Grading

Coded solutions will be graded on a scale of 0, 2, 6, 10. A 10 point solution solves all input test files correctly. A 6 point solution solves some test files, but not all. A 2 point solution represents an honest effort at an attempt, but may not solve the problem for any test data. An honest effort is subject to interpretation, but we anticipate that it represents at least two hours of work.

Problems done individually earn full credit. For group solutions, the points earned are split among the group members so that a perfect solution for a two-person group earns each person 5 points.

Two cut-offs have been established: 120 points earns an A, 80 points earns a B. We might lower these cutoffs but we will not raise them. Each student must also make one presentation of a solution. Failure to present a solution will cause a 10 point deduction in total points.

Students participating in the regional contest can earn points for problems solved in the contest. We may give full credit for all problems solved to each team member rather than dividing credit among team members.


Assignments

Final assignment. *

Each assignment should include a README file with the names of all group members (or just one name if an individual attempt) and the time it took to complete. Turn in only one program for each group attempt.

* First week

* Second week

* Third week

* Fourth week
All problems in one document!

* Fifth week
All problems in one document!

* Sixth week
* Seventh Week, practice contest
* Eighth Week
Problems from East Central Contest of 1996 (postscript only)
* Ninth Week
Problems from the Southeast regionals. Postscript only.

Errata


Grades


People

Here's a list of people enrolled in the class

Here's a list of people who attend often and submit code


Code

Some code examples discussed in class.
Last modified September 2, 1996 by Owen Astrachan, ola@cs.duke.edu