In this course you will learn the techniques and skills needed to solve algorithmic programming contests problems such as those that appear on the International Collegiagte Programming Contest (ICPC), Codeforces, DMOJ, and AtCoder. Much of your time will be spent writing programs on your own to solve problems. (If you are interested in participating in the ICPC see this page.)
But the skills you will pick up from the course are far more valuable than just enabling you to win contests. Many of the algorithms and techniques are classic ones that every computer scientist should know. You will also learn to think about algorithms in a deeper way, because many of the problems require you have to devise a new algorithm, not just apply a classic one. You will also become highly fluent in a programming language of your choice. These skills will be of great value in your other classes, in your job interviews, and in your future work, not to mention the satisfaction you will get from solving these problems.
Basic Information
Weekly Problems
Rules and Academic Integrity
Grading
Logistics
Training Resources
Learning Material Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The regular weekly contests will take place Wednesdays beginning at 7:05pm in Scaife Hall 236, and last 2 hours (you don't have to stay the whole time.) Most contests will have a theme, and will be preceeded by a lecture on the theme of the contest. The lecture will begin at 6:30 in the same room. The theme will be listed with the contest, along with links to tutorials or background materials. During the contests, the instructor and/or TA will be available for help in the classroom, or via Discord.
- Instructors: Danny Sleator <sleator@cs.cmu.edu>
- Teaching Assistant: Rafael Nascimento Soares <rafaeln@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Class Meetings: Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:00, Scaife 236
- Discord server: join link
- Codeforces 15-295 Group (REQUIRED: Join This Group!)
- Name List (REQUIRED: Add Your Info!)
For more information on how to join these groups, etc, see the Logistics section below.
You can make use of generic on-line resources while solving problems. These include things like language documentation, API documentation, algorithm descriptions, terminology, etc. You are allowed to use any code you have written, at any time in the past, for any purpose. However, you should not search for or make use of code written by others to solve the specific assigned problem. It is also forbidden to use AI to solve these problems. The purpose is to learn to solve these problems yourself.
So to summarize, each student should write his or her own code. If you're stuck on a problem, you are welcome to discuss it with another student in the class, or the course staff. But you cannot copy another student's code, or ask an AI for assistance.
The violations described above are regarded as an academic integrity violation, and -- depending on the severity -- will result in penalties and/or be reported to the appropriate university authorities.
This course is 5 units. Each week you will be given several problems to try to solve during class. You will be allowed (for half credit) to solve these problems during the week after the contest ends. You can also get credit for solving problems during rated contests on Codeforces. (This site run rated contests approximately every two weeks.)
To be more specific, you can earn points from the following sources:
The differences between 15-195 and 15-295 are: Students enrolled in 15-295 will not get credit for problems A and B of the weekly contests, but 15-195 students can. A student can take 15-195 only once, but 15-295 can be taken repeatedly.
Here is how your grade is determined:
score ≥ 25: A
score ≥ 15: B
score ≥ 10: C
score ≥ 5: D
Everyone in the class and/or on any programming team should be in this Discord workspace. This is one way we communicate with the class. Here is the join link.
Everybody in the class is required to have a Codeforces account. We will be running our weekly contests on that judge.
Add your name along with your Codeforces handle name and other information to this spreadsheet. (It's the same one in Basic Information list above.)
To join the 15-295 codeforces group, first create your codeforces account, and login to it. Then go to this 15-295 Codeforces Group page. On this page you should see a list of the contests created for this course. Now, toward the right side of the page click on the link to join the group. (You only have to join once.) Then a "Register" link should appear next to the contest. Click on this link to register for the contest. After that another "Enter" link should be available for you to join the contest (if it has already started).
As we proceed through the semester we will tabulate your results and put them into this NOT SET UP YET document.
This semester Richard Peng is teaching 15495, Topics in Algorithmic Problem Solving. It's Tuesday and Thursday 2 to 3:20PM in Porter Hall 126A. Many techniques that are useful for contest solving will be covered.
There are many online resources available for you to train with if you intend to become a serious competitive programmer. You can find thousands of practice problems for you practice and improve your skills. Some good places to find practice problems include:
If you are a beginner looking for resources to learn the various topics that appear in typical contests, some good sources are:
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Each of us is responsible for creating a safer, more inclusive environment.
Unfortunately, incidents of bias or discrimination do occur, whether intentional or unintentional. They contribute to creating an unwelcoming environment for individuals and groups at the university. Therefore, the university encourages anyone who experiences or observes unfair or hostile treatment on the basis of identity to speak out for justice and support, within the moment of the incident or after the incident has passed. Anyone can share these experiences using the following resources:
- Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion: <csdi@andrew.cmu.edu>, (412) 268-2150
- Report-It online anonymous reporting platform: reportit.net username: tartans password: plaid
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