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ACM ICPC Results

Posted by michael on from the gold-star dept.

An anonymous submitter writes: "Warsaw University has won the 2003 ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest with nine of ten problems solved. Second to fifth place are Moscow State University, St Petersburg Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, Comenius University, Tsinghua University. You can view the problems online, as well as the final standings. Congratulations to all!"

16 comments

  1. No programmers avail. to make an HTML version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Available Formats:

    PDF (.pdf)
    Microsoft Word (.doc)

    First post, not that it means anything in the dev section (or ever, really).

  2. I'll volunteer... by breon.halling · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... OK, OK, I'll take the heat for this one.

    Since two out of the top five are Russian...

    In Soviet Russia, nine of ten problems SOLVE YOU!

    I'm really, really sorry, but at least it's out of the way! =)

    Seriously, though, congrats to all involved. I can barely decypher the damned PDF, let alone the problems within!

    --
    "Yeah, well, Dracula called and he's coming over tonight for you and I said okay."
    1. Re:I'll volunteer... by Bobas · · Score: 1

      No, Warsaw is not in Russia, it's in Poland.

    2. Re:I'll volunteer... by ChiPHeaD23 · · Score: 1
      No, Warsaw is not in Russia, it's in Poland.

      From the writeup: "Second to fifth place are Moscow State University, St Petersburg Institute of Fine Mechanics(...)"

      Did you have a point?

    3. Re:I'll volunteer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, Warsaw is not in Russia, it's in Poland.

      With the world getting militaristic and everything, you should add "so far".

  3. University of Kentucky by funkhauser · · Score: 1
    I'd like to congratulate my teammates from the University of Kentucky for making a fine showing at Worlds this year! Great job guys!

    Sigh. I didn't get to go... I'm just third string...

    --
    Learn to Play Go
    1. Re:University of Kentucky by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks!

      - RMG elwe at softhome.net

  4. Go America! by moertle · · Score: 2, Funny


    USA! USA! USA!... oh wait.

    I went to internationals last year, it was a blast. IBM knows how to host a programming contest :)

    --
    I hold a patent on sigs...
    1. Re:Go America! by Cutriss · · Score: 1

      Yes, it is worth noting that the first US universities on the list are two of eight tied at #13 (UC-Berkeley and CalTech).

      Of course, our university (MSU) got Honorable Mention, which is to say that they were tied for dead last. :P

      --
      "Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
  5. I dunno... by darkov · · Score: 1

    They look like maths problems to me. Here's a programming problem:

    Implement a business system with incomplete and changing requirements given insufficient time and resources using the latest buggy, flavour of the month tools, techniques and systems.

    Extra points awarded for not turning to drink or going postal.

    --
    Reliable, Great Value Hosting: $7.95/mo 2.4G/120G
    1. Re:I dunno... by archeopterix · · Score: 1
      Yes, they are maths (algorithmics) problems. But algorithmic background isn't enough to win this contest. You have to implement the algorithm you came up with and you have to implement it fast.

      You have no time to think about the implementation details of your data structures. You've got to know the implementation of all the basic algorithms and data structures by heart - no time to debug your AVL implementation there. Of course you've got to be a fast typist, or at least have one on the team.

      These abilities don't automatically make you a good programmer, but can help you become one.

  6. Are kids these days getting more stupid? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope not, but looking at the problems asked in the last five years...

  7. US Performance, Communism? by Gaurang · · Score: 1

    I noticed that the US performance is not as good as it has been in the past. In the past, US got atleast 2-3 teams into the top 10. But this year not even one was in the top 10, though there were 5 in 11-21 ranks.

    Why are Russia and China and Poland (Warsaw univ i s Polish) always ahead in world competitions like this one and the Physics/Math Olympiads? Do you see what I see - is there a link with Communism?

    --
    I have found a solution to Riemann's Hypothesis, but have run out of spac
    1. Re:US Performance, Communism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps the quality of the education system is strongly correlated with the rankings of maths and programming contests. I think the type of government and the political ideology is only weakly correlated with these kind of contests.

      Don't be disappointed, though, look at the gold medals received by the US in the Summer Games.

    2. Re:US Performance, Communism? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Poland isn't communist. Hasn't been since 1989. The kids that Jan Madey led to win the ACM barely remember communist times.
      But the education system in place is rigorous (and it may be similar to the ones in Russia and China), and often students in middle school are doing problems that kids in US colleges would have a hard time solving. Also Polish kids end up taking three or four years of each of the science classes I only had to take one of when I was in high school. As the chemistry/math/computer science teacher at the school where I worked said, "Kids in the US specialize and get good at one subject. Kids in Poland have to have deep knowledge in every subject."

      Jan Madey is a brilliant, brilliant guy, by the way. I had the opportunity to work under him for a short time, and he's a very smart researcher well versed in a number of fields.

  8. have you not read this? by Gaurang · · Score: 1

    Are kids these days getting more stupid? I hope not, but looking at the problems asked in the last five years...

    Yeah of course. Have you not read this news story?

    --
    I have found a solution to Riemann's Hypothesis, but have run out of spac