People are driving Manzoor Mad

w k · Post by **w k** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:07 pm

Shahriar!
I'm with You!! I like tricky problems (even if I can't solve them - such problems I like the most!). Go on!!

Wojciech

w k · Post by **w k** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:07 pm

Shahriar!
I'm with You!! I like tricky problems (even if I can't solve them - such problems I like the most!). Go on!!

Wojciech

OlgaE · Post by **OlgaE** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:59 am

To those, who don't like Shahriar's problems:
Do not like => do not eat.

Rajib · Post by **Rajib** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:52 am

I think this problem is asking to the solver using their common sense. It just test some mathematical knowledge. I think the problem was tricky and I love to solve tricky problems. Not all the time we should solve the problem using algorithm only

.

I did not feel any problem about the description at all. I solve the problem by one submission only...

Cosmin.ro · Post by **Cosmin.ro** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 4:57 pm

The problem is now fixed, during contest time the problem description was different ... so the fact that you solved it in one submission doesen't mean anything

Lars Hellsten · Post by **Lars Hellsten** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:27 am

Manzoor's problems on today's contest were two of the most boring and unoriginal problems imaginable. It's certainly not worth waking up at 0500h to solve stuff like that, which is why I stopped doing UVA contests a year or two ago. I commend him on his dedication to the site and for organizing these contests, but maybe he should write less and try to create one really good problem for each contest instead of two bad ones.

shahriar_manzoor · Post by **shahriar_manzoor** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 2:51 am

Well! Boring problems vary from person to person. For example two other problems in this contest were boring to me (I won't say which ones because I have learnt courtesy somehow). About the cow problem I have written it long ago and it was just there to be solved by everyone. Doesn't topcoder or waterloo contests have common algorithm based problems? Surely I have better problems under my collection but those are saved for more important contests to come. Calculation says then I have three big contests within October so I need 10-12 problems in three months just from me.

About tangent problem, no one solved it within one hour so how can it not be original? May be u don't like geometry

. I heard comments from Derek that it was a nasty one not boring. And yes it is hard for me to maintain standards with paid problem setters (topcoders) and no one is providing me unlimited supplies of creative problems except the elites.

Yes I admit that my problems in the last two contests are below by own standard because I am just focusing on the next important ones. Last year the situation I was in that I had no good problems in my hand to submit for the most important contest, I don't want to face that situation any more.

shamim · Post by **shamim** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 7:19 am

Well, easy problems can be boring to some, but the good prgrammers must remember there are lot of amateurs and newbies participating. So, there should be one prblem these new people can solve.

Afterall there is a famous quote in programming contest. "In a contest you don't get a rank if you don't solve any problem. So every contest has at least one problem that every one can solve".

Adrian Kuegel · Post by **Adrian Kuegel** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 11:52 am

The problem tangents is a sub problem of problem 10224 "Return of the Jedi", which was posed in a Waterloo Contest. Therefore it was especially boring for Lars, and all others who solved this problem. I didn't solve it in first hour because I didn't read all problems through, only the ones that were solved so far in the contest.

For example two other problems in this contest were boring to me

I agree that some other problems in this contest were also not very original.
In my opinion the nicest problem in this contest was problem C "Revenge of Faucet Flow".

shahriar_manzoor · Post by **shahriar_manzoor** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 2:39 pm

Since I did not read that problem I am undone. And since there are so many LCS problems and still we don't complain, wny in this case? And the judge data of this problem is I think more critical.

Yarin · Post by **Yarin** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 3:04 pm

I doubt many found my problem in this contest exciting (Grid Points). However, that problem was taken directly from something I had to solve at work recently. Also, it was probably one of the easier problems, although my name as problem setter seems to scare away most competitors

Sadly, real life problems are usually much more boring than interesting problem such as Revence of the Faucet Flow. I still think there should be more real life problems in these contents. Boring real life problems == better than boring math problems.

shahriar_manzoor · Post by **shahriar_manzoor** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:57 pm

Yarin wrote:I doubt many found my problem in this contest exciting (Grid Points). However, that problem was taken directly from something I had to solve at work recently. Also, it was probably one of the easier problems, although my name as problem setter seems to scare away most competitors

I am almost sure that Yarin is thinking that his problem is one of the two boring problems I am talking about. I will not say whether it is true or not because If I say his problem is not boring then the field becomes smaller and others become angry

.

Yarin wrote:Sadly, real life problems are usually much more boring than interesting problem such as Revence of the Faucet Flow. I still think there should be more real life problems in these contents. Boring real life problems == better than boring math problems.

I have heard that math problems are very popular in Russia and China. People of different region have different tastes.

I must end saying that being a problem setter is hard a) Waste(!) of a lot of time b) Thankless job c) But a lot of critisism when something goes wrong d) Problems are not considered as publications. Although I have seen simpler ideas (than hard problems) are accepted as papers in middle level conferences. e) It does not gain u job experience.

and yet so many minus points...

Yarin · Post by **Yarin** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 6:08 pm

I am almost sure that Yarin is thinking that his problem is one of the two boring problems I am talking about. I will not say whether it is true or not because If I say his problem is not boring then the field becomes smaller and others become angry

Well, I thought my problem was boring, but it's still a problem, and since I had to solve it at work, I wanted other poor bastards to solve it as well mwahahaha...!

Lars Hellsten · Post by **Lars Hellsten** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:18 am

shahriar_manzoor wrote:Well! Boring problems vary from person to person. For example two other problems in this contest were boring to me (I won't say which ones because I have learnt courtesy somehow). About the cow problem I have written it long ago and it was just there to be solved by everyone. Doesn't topcoder or waterloo contests have common algorithm based problems? Surely I have better problems under my collection but those are saved for more important contests to come. Calculation says then I have three big contests within October so I need 10-12 problems in three months just from me.

Sorry for the harsh tone of my previous post. I agree that the other problem writers compose repetitive problems too. I also acknowledge that with thousands of problems out there, it's impossible to come up with 8 or 9 original problems every contest, especially with unpaid writers. However, I don't think it should be too hard to make some of those boring or annoying problems more interesting. The "Luke Skywalker" problem was basically the same as your tangents problem, but added a story, and a twist. The latest TopCoder hard is another example. The problem statement could have been "compute the intersection points of two circles, and the arc lengths between them". That would have been really boring. They made it seem more interesting than that by making the problem also involve a simulation, and by adding a story. I completely agree with Yarin that "boring" problems stated as real life problems are better than "boring" problems stated as math problems.

Tahseen Mohammad · Post by **Tahseen Mohammad** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 8:01 am

Its a tough job being a problem setter let alone an unpaid one.

I've always wanted to become one just for the reason that its
so demanding. Your understanding of the topic is important,
correct coding is essential, you have to understand what can
be the critical inputs and how to generate enough of them.

I wrote a few very very easy problems for newcomer
contestants in my university. Even for those trivial problems
it worries me if I make a silly mistake and things go wrong at
the contest time. I appretiate all problemsetter who are setting
problems for us simply because of their courage & confidence
to set them.

Its a must that we criticize the mistakes of problemsetters so that
those mistake can be corrected and they can improve themselves
as a problemsetter. But we must always remember that they
are the one giving us something for free. Its not that we are giving
them.

Lets be considerate & patient for a chnage Everyone.

OJ Board

People are driving Manzoor Mad

Do u think Shariar Manzoor

To those, who don't like Shahriar's problems:

Hmm!

Hmm!

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