:(

Good evening gentlemen. I feel uncomfortable. Have an examination in algorithms and data structures, this Friday. Therefore I have a question for You. When a person gets a grade in a course, what does that grade tell about that person?

More generally, labelling an object with an integer that determines quality, should that measurement of quality be interpreted:
- locally (how that object is right here and right now)?
- globally (what is determined now, is how the object will be forever)?
- changing (the object has a "will" to change its quality; become refined over time)?
- that it depends on the definition of "measurement" and depends on the objects properties?
- something else

For a while, I've been studying about these algorithmic design paradigms (greedy algorithms, dynamic programming, divide and conquer, randomization), flow networks and some of the popular flow algorithms, trees and so on. Yet, I feel like I know nothing. I understand the concepts and the algorithms. I also understand most of the proofs or at least they make sense to me. Although when I try to apply my knowledge to real world problems, I just can't seem to convert or model the problem into the things I've learned.

I feel, well utterly fucked in some way.
An hour ago, I found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVPCT1VjySA

Which made me feel slightly better.

This made me feel slightly better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1nL01r3Gsk

OP here.
This made me feel slightly better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdj6deraQ6k

This made me feel a lot better http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAn2UFXSsgw

Thank you >>2,3,4; you videos cheered me up :).

Seeing where algorithms apply to real world problems is very much something that comes with experience - if you really do understand the concepts and proofs, you'll probably be able to pick it up pretty quickly.

Note that the weighing could have been done more efficiently by splitting into three piles instead of two.

>>1
Although it seems that you are expected to master what you are currently studying before moving on, that's just not the way it works. Full understanding comes only from a lot of experience and repeated study.

the real world is irrelevant anyway

>>7

For the stupid majority it does. Us smart people get ``full'' understanding in the short time they expect. Of course the understading is not full, but it is sufficient to nail an A and move on with our lives.

>>8
the academic world is irrelevant anyway

Fixed for truth

:)

:)

:)

>>1,5,11-13
MIDGETS DETECTED

MID GET

Actually I'm not >>11-13, >>14 . I had my examination today and I didn't live up to my own expectations. I modelled a problem in an exercise into a flow network problem, answered some multiple-choice questions, and analyzed the runing time of a randomized algorithm.

I didn't do the dynamic programming exercise and another exercise about greedy algorithms. The dynamic programming exercise didn't look bad though, I just needed to describe an algorithm for LMIS (Longest Monotonically Increasing Subsequence) (to determine the LMIS, just looking at the lenght was enough), analyze the algorithm, give a recurrence formula and argue why it works. But I was too slow and didn't come up with an answer.

I feel like I failed; no, I certainly failed, but I insist on not giving up.

>>>Full understanding comes only from a lot of experience and repeated study.

How should I repeat the study then? Should I read everything again? Should I implement all of those things that I have learned? Reading SICP (read the K&R though and it was awesome)?
Please, recommend me some ways of learning efficiently or point me to some articles.

>>10
Please elaborate.

>>16
You failed because you didn't read SICP!

>>16
Also, do some ICPC problem sets.

>>18
Insane Clown Posse Problem Set 1:
a) Fucking magnets, how do they work?

>>19
a) Please, head back to imageboards.

>>20
Fuck off, ``faggot''.

>>21

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                  '---'

>>21

>+>+>+++[<++>-]<[>+++++[<<++>>-]<-]+>+++++>+++++[<+>-]>++[-<+++++>]<[->+++++>+++++<<]>[->+<]>[-<<<+>>>]<<<[-<+>]>++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]<-->>++[>+++[>+++++[>++[<<<<+>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]++[>++[>++[<<<+>>>-]<-]<-]<[->+>+<<]>->[->+<<<+>>]+>[-<+>]+++++++>+++++[>+++++[>++++[<<<+>>>-]<-]<-]>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]>>+++++[>+++++[>++++[<<<<+>+>>>-]<-]<-]<<+>+>+++++[>++[<<<+>+>>-]<-]<<+++++>>>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]+++++++>>+++++++<++++[>>+++++[>++[<<+<<+>>>>-]<-]<<-]>>+++[>+++[>+++++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<<++++++++>>+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++>>>+++[>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<<<+>+>>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]<-]+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++++[>+++++[>++[<<<<<<<<+>+>+>+>+>+>>>-]<-]<-]++++[<<<<<<+>+>+>>+>+>-]+++++++[<<<<<<+>+>>>+>>-]++++[<<<<<<+>>>>+>>-]<<+++>>+++>+++>>+++[>+++[>++++[<<<<<+>+>+>>>-]<-]<-]+++[>++[<<+>>-]<-]<++++<[<]+[>.]

>>23
You were missing a bit.
>+>+>+++[<++>-]<[>+++++[<<++>>-]<-]+>+++++>+++++[<+>-]>++[-<+++++>]<[->+++++>+++++<<]>[->+<]>[-<<<+>>>]<<<[-<+>]>++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]++[>++[-<<++>>]+<-]<-->>++[>+++[>+++++[>++[<<<<+>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]++[>++[>++[<<<+>>>-]<-]<-]<[->+>+<<]>->[->+<<<+>>]+>[-<+>]+++++++>+++++[>+++++[>++++[<<<+>>>-]<-]<-]>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]>>+++++[>+++++[>++++[<<<<+>+>>>-]<-]<-]<<+>+>+++++[>++[<<<+>+>>-]<-]<<+++++>>>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]+++++++>>+++++++<++++[>>+++++[>++[<<+<<+>>>>-]<-]<<-]>>+++[>+++[>+++++[>++[<<<<<+>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<<++++++++>>+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++<+++++++++++>++++++++>>>+++[>++[>++[>++[>++[>++[<<<<<<<+>+>>>>>>-]<-]<-]<-]<-]<-]+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++>+++++++++[>+++++[>++[<<<<<<<<+>+>+>+>+>+>>>-]<-]<-]++++[<<<<<<+>+>+>>+>+>-]+++++++[<<<<<<+>+>>>+>>-]++++[<<<<<<+>>>>+>>-]<<+++>>+++>+++>>+++[>+++[>++++[<<<<<+>+>+>>>-]<-]<-]+++[>++[<<+>>-]<-]<++++>++++++++++[<]+[>.]

>>23-24
Fuck off, ``faggot''.