2 replies to this topic

[Wizard]

For a little while now I've been a member of the Sphere Online Judge, they prose a problem and you program a solution in your favorite language. I'm most comfortable in php so I usually use that but I'm also learning Python so I use that when I can. You submit the program via the web site, it runs it and if it can complete the problem within the alloted time you are given.

For example the first test program, they get progressivly more difficult. I did a few before I stopped, like finding all the prime numbers between two numbers up to a million numbers apart in 6 seconds. That was fun.

Quote

SPOJ Problem Set

1. Life, the Universe, and Everything
Problem code: TEST

Your program is to use the brute-force approach in order to find the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. More precisely... rewrite small numbers from input to output. Stop processing input after reading in the number 42. All numbers at input are integers of one or two digits.
Example

Input:
1
2
88
42
99

Output:
1
2
88

Added by: Michał Małafiejski
Date: 2004-05-01
Time limit: 3s
Source limit: 50000B
Languages: All
Resource: Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

If you're interested in programming at all, It's awesome.

I only know the regular Sphere Online Judge today I got an email about a contest they're doing. I'll repost it here.

Quote

Dear Members of the Sphere Online Judge Community!

We are delighted to announce that Sphere Online Judge will be hosting
a new international programming contest, addressed first of all to
high school students:

High School Programming League 2008/2009
( http://hs.spoj.pl )

The contest will consist of 7 problem sets, each lasting about 5 weeks.
The 1st problem set starts on September 20 at 12:00 SPOJ time.

High school students are eligible to win valuable prizes (including
notebook computers), but all SPOJ users are cordially invited to
participate just-for-fun!

For rules and more particulars, see the contest website: http://hs.spoj.pl.
English and Polish are both official languages of the contest.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to any friends who might be
interested in participating in the High School Programming League,
or to place a link to the contest site in your blog.

We sincerely hope that solving participating in the contest will be
a challenging and enjoyable experience!

With best regards,

The organisers of the competition
(and owners of Sphere Online Judge)

Sphere Research Labs Sp. z o.o.

I checked it out. The first problem is already posted. It's pretty simple, but trust me they get harder.

Quote

ATM

Problem code: HS08TEST

Julia would like to withdraw X € from an ATM. The cash machine will only accept the transaction if X is a multiple of 5, and Julia's account balance is sufficient to perform the withdrawal transaction (including bank charges). Calculate Julia's account balance after an attempted transaction, if you know that for an accepted transaction the bank makes a charge of 0.50 €.

Input

Positive integer 0 < X <= 2000 - the amount of cash which Julia wishes to withdraw.

Nonnegative number 0<= Y <= 2000 with two digits of precision - Julia's initial account balance.

Output

Output the account balance after the attempted transaction, given as a number with two digits of precision.
Example1

Input:
30 120.00

Output:
89.50
Example2

Input:
300 120.00

Output:
120.00
Scoring

This is a test problem and you will receive no points for solving it. However, at 12:00 on Saturday, September 27, we will give out small gifts to some users, drawn from among those registered contestants who have solved this problem in more programming languages available at SPOJ then all other registered contestants.

Added by: Łukasz Kuszner
Date: 2008-09-07
Time limit: 1s
Source limit: 50000B
Languages: All
Resource: SPOJ High School Programming League 2008/2009

Good luck!

[marek]

Seems like fun, I can even keep the site in Polish.

[Aldalome]

hm, interesting... ill definitely check it out