#!SUITS

Algorithms and Problem Solving 2008

Algorithms and Problem Solving runs every week in semester, and while it’s contents varies from week to week, it always comes with food. For a detailed break down of the plan for the semester see below. The eventual aim is for the participants to be good enough to enter the ACM – the biggest university team programming competition in the world.

The general plan for the first half is an introduction to *nix and learning a range of tips and tricks to make your life in IT easier.

In the second half of semester one we will be trying to solve challenging and interesting problems. Don’t worry if it seems difficult, it is very likely that most of the other people in the room think so too :) Programming competitions are a fun way for you to learn more in interesting areas of computing such as algorithms, as well as improving skills in communication, teamwork and the ability to write bug-free code fast.

Ask questions, learn new coding techniques, languages and algorithms. Come to the undergraduate labs in the SIT (School of Information Technologies) building and join in.

Timing

In semester 2008, this event is splitting in two:

• Monday 4pm – 6pm for 1st years
• Wednesday 4pm – 7pm for 2nd years and up

Food will vary slightly from week to week and will arrive around 6pm. If you have ideas about other sorts of food we should get please share them – we’re always open to suggestions. Also note that while food is free on Monday, it is $2 for members and $3 for others on Wednesday.

Staying Informed

The advanced group currently has two means of communication beyond the events and newsletters:

• See this thread for announcements (and please subscribe to the thread so you’ll get them e-mailed to you)
• E-mail us at our regular address saying you want to go on the special list for Advanced Algorithms and Problem Solving (it’s actually just a set of addresses managed by the members of the exec who run the event, but you have to mail us to get onto it)

These sorts of things will be set up for the 1st year version of the event in the near future.

Detailed Plan for semester 1

First Year:

• Week 1 – Intro to *Nix
• Week 2 – Crypto Challenge
• Week 3 – Mystery Team Activity
• Week 4 onwards – Algorithms and Programming (more detail to be revealed soon)

Advanced:

• Week 1 – Intro to Khiva + warm up
• Week 2 – Practice Competition, more Khiva Work
• Week 3 – Traveling Salesman Competition + LAN
• Week 4 – Individual Competition (3 problems)
• Week 5 – Answers to the three problems from last week + Joint SUITS / Google Event
• Week 6 – Team Competition + SUSO Concert (slightly optional)
• Week 7 – TBA
• Week 8 – TBA + LAN
• Week 9 – TBA
• Week 10 – TBA + Trivia
• Week 11 – TBA + LAN
• Week 12 – TBA
• Week 13 – TBA