Help from Polonius Thu Sep 28 19:37:40 EDT 2006 Read the Demonstration Problems ---- --- ------------- -------- Every contest has rules for how to write your solution programs; e.g., rules for submitting files, rules for doing input and output, etc. The best way to BE SURE you are following these rules is to read a demonstration problem solution in the language you are using, and mimic that solution when you do input/output, submit your files, etc. Input/Output Difficulties ------------------------- A surprising number of solutions have simple bugs in input or output. You need to master these with a bit of practice. For example, be sure you can detect the end of file and not go into an infinite loop when it happens. Completeness ------------ Often solutions are correct except that their author ignored one smallish instruction in the problem state- ment. You need to test that your solution meets EVERY stipulation in the problem statement. There is no partial credit in a contest like this. Be sure you can handle the formatting issues of a prob- lem before you attempt it. In a Formal Contest Do the Easiest Problems First ------------------------------------------------- Take great care to do easiest problems first. Your primary score is the number of completely correct prob- lems you have done. Your secondary score, used in the event of a primary score tie, is the sum of the number of seconds you took for each problem, where the seconds taken for a problem is computed by subtracting the start time of the contest from the submit time of your first correct solution of the problem. The secondary score is lowest best (the primary score is highest best). In effect, if you do N problems, the time you take on the first problem counts N times, the time on the second N-1 times, etc. So you want the problems you solve first to be the ones that take you the least amount of time. You also want to do easiest problems first so you will solve more problems, and your primary score will be higher. Formal Contest Goals -------------------- You should try hard to complete half the problems. Often completing a bit more than half the problems is sufficient to be one of the several contest `winners' (i.e. to go on to the next round). Contestants who are completely new to this kind of all- or-nothing problem scoring usually find it difficult to get even one problem correct during a timed contest. Such contestants should have as their goal to get just one problem during the contest. File: advice Author: Bob Walton Date: See top of file. The authors have placed this file in the public domain; they make no warranty and accept no liability for this file. RCS Info (may not be true date or author): $Author: walton $ $Date: 2006/09/28 23:38:36 $ $RCSfile: advice,v $ $Revision: 1.9 $