/sci/ Can you help me get better at competitive programming? Please advise the required math to get better at it.
>>7735163
http://4chan-science.wikia.com/wiki/Computer_Science_and_Engineering
Git gud.
>>7735263
> git
xDD nice bro I see what you did there
>>7735163
http://web.stanford.edu/class/cs97si/
http://cpbook.net/
Don't know why you would waste your time with it though...
>>7735163
You barely need any math other than a couple of discrete formulas and common sense, just knowing how to work with primes in general.
Focusing on math isn't going to do you much good if you haven't focused on the main topics yet. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.352.1749&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Here's an outline of what you should be doing:
1. Elementary ability training - Doing easy problems fast, understanding the C++ STL data structures and successfully using them in simple application problems. Do Codeforces Div2 A/B and C if you can, and topcoder div2 250 and 500. These should take you no more than 5/10 minutes each and then you're ready to advance.
2. Elementary topics - Dynamic Programming and Graph theory. Dynamic programming should be learned from https://www.topcoder.com/community/data-science/data-science-tutorials/dynamic-programming-from-novice-to-advanced/ but do note it doesn't really take you to "advanced", but from zero to novice. Do EVERY problem there. Elementary graph theory should be learned from >>7735293, you want BFS/DFS, closest path algorithms (Dijkstra, bellman-ford, floyd-warshall), bridges & articulation points, strongly connected components (Tarjan) and minimum spanning tree (Kruskal / Prim).
Once you're here (a month or two), you'll have a better idea on how to train. You want to continue with the other topics on the "Training ICPC Teams" paper. You should be entering all Codeforces contests and Topcoder SRMs and advancing in your general ability as well as specific topics. Basic strings, data structures, algorithms on trees, and tons of DP are good candidates for the next few topics. Pick and choose, and look for exactly what you need to learn from each topic.
>>7735293
Overall competitive programming is an amazing, challenging experience that trains your intuition and your ability and knowledge of algorithms and data structures. If nothing else, it's fun.
>>7735420
Thank you sir.
I really appreciate your effort and I'll definitely follow your advice.
>>7735163
Are you that guy I saw at one of the ACM ICPC regionals this year with that book? Congrats on placing horribly if so.
>>7737595
Nope.
>>7737595
It's a really popular book m8
>>7735286
Leave for >>>/r/eddit fucktard
>>7737874
>>7737702
Alright, well I saw some neckbeard with both that book and an abstract algebra textbook, so I don't think assuming it's an autist from /sci/ after seeing this thread is too much of a leap.
I wonder if he'll ever use that abstract algebra textbook on any problems in a comp setting...
>>7735420
once in a while /sci/ comes through
>>7739742
I've actually encountered problems about finite groups, the goldbach conjecture, linear optimization, the mobius function, etc, etc. There's a lot of breadth on which topics you can encounter in competitive programming, but regionals (especially USA regionals, fucking KEK) are incredibly low on theory where you only need some elementary graph theory and elementary DP to do almost every problem.
Real problems (CF/TC div1, russian regionals, world finals) can get tricky.
