{
"cells": [
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"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"# Project ideas\n",
"\n",
"[Project workspace](https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=206050)\n"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Problems by day\n",
"\n",
"1. [Ticket prices](01-ticket-prices)\n",
"2. [Lift instructions](02-lifts)\n",
"3. [Door codes](03-door-codes)\n",
"4. [Ghost leg, follow and pack](04-08-amidakuji)\n",
"5. [Display board](05-display-board)\n",
"6. [Tour shapes](06-tour-shapes)\n",
"7. [Virtual machine](07-interpreter)\n",
"8. [Word chains](08-word-chains)\n",
"9. [Resolving the bill](09-resolving-the-bill)\n",
"10. [Word search](10-word-search)\n",
"\n",
"### Extras\n",
"* [Suitcase packing](10-suitacase-packing)\n",
"9. [Filling the days](08-filling-days) [Problem C](https://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Activities/Luks_Programming_Contest/problems/Problems2017.pdf): A per the problem, B when there are multiple rooms available\n",
"\n",
"\n",
"Problem 6 taken from [Problem B](https://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Activities/Luks_Programming_Contest/problems/Problems2017.pdf): A is check if string is a closed loop, B is finding if two partial loops make a whole one"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Longest substring of _k_ distinct characters\n",
"Given a string of letters, what is the longest (contiguous) substring with no more than _k_ distinct characters?\n",
"\n",
"Could also do it with words instead of letters. \n",
"\n",
"Not sure how to find the extension..."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Monotone substrings\n",
"Find the Longest monotonic substring in a list of numbers (words?)\n",
"\n",
"Extension: longest non-decreasing (or non-increasing) substring.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: longest monotonic subsequence"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Product in grid\n",
"Given a grid of numbers, find the largest product of five numbers in a row (totally Project Euler no. 11: https://projecteuler.net/problem=11 ).\n",
"\n",
"Extension: largest product of five adjacent numbers, no necessarily colinear, but can't loop back to same number twice."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## [Wordsearch](wordsearch/): \n",
"\n",
"Wordsearch [creation](wordsearch/wordsearch-creation.ipynb) and [solving](wordsearch/wordsearch-solving.ipynb).\n",
"\n",
"Given a grid of letters and a list of words, how many words are in the grid?\n",
"\n",
"Extension: what's the longest word you can make from the leftover letters?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Countdown\n",
"Given some letters and a list of words, what's the longest word you can make from the letters.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: you're actually playing scrabble. What's the highest-scoring word you can make?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Connect 4\n",
"Given a grid size and a list of moves, who won? Input is a list of games, result is number of games that went to completion\n",
"\n",
"Extension: how many games would be won by on the next go? (At least one of the puzzles has to have a game that would be \"won\" by placing a piece above an already-full column."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Travelling salesman\n",
"Given a network, find the shortest route between them, without visiting the same spot twice.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: find the longest travelling salesman route.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: relax the constraint, and allow repeated visits to the same place. What's the shortest route now?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"# Virtual machine\n",
"Run the assembly program, what's the result? Count the steps in a collatz sequence?\n",
"\n",
"Extension: run it again on different input. This takes longer."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Satisfiability\n",
"Given a boolean expression, how many variables are in it?\n",
"\n",
"Extension: is it satisfiable?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Battleships\n",
"Given a grid of hits and misses, where could be battleship be? (count how many positions it could be in) Assume the battleship is unhit.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: the battleship might have been hit, but not sunk. Now how many places could it be?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Multi-knapsack\n",
"How many ways can you fill a bunch of knapsacks (e.g. Advent 2015 days 17, 24)"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Phone number puzzle\n",
"Words that fit a phone number.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: non-ascii unicode in input"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Rainfall problem\n",
"http://dl.acm.org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/citation.cfm?doid=6592.6594"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Ten-pin bowling scores. \n",
"Given a sequence of number of pins knocked down, calculate total score.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: the sequence of scores is for several players, doing round after round. Who wins?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Pack and justify text into paragraphs."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Word chain puzzles\n",
"Given a start and end word and a dictionary, find a chain of valid words transforming one to the other.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: what is the shortest chain? What is the longest chain without repeated words?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## [Amidakuji / Ghost leg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Leg)\n",
"Derangement network simulation.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: sum several networks"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Parcel pricing\n",
"By weight and volumetric weight. \n",
"\n",
"Find total postage cost of list of parcels. Each parcel given as w, h, l, mass.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: find the volumetric weight of the packages. \n"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Parcel wrapping: \n",
"First, find area, \n",
"\n",
"Extension: find width of 1m strip to wrap. Include extra for wriggle room."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Mastermind\n",
"How many valid solutions remain after the scores you've seen\n",
"\n",
"Extension: How many scores are possible for this attempt?"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Lift simulator\n",
"Given a sequence of lift calls (time of call, floor of call, destination of passenger), what is the best solution to move all the passengers? Cost sum of passenger waits, where a passenger wait is the time between calling a lift and arriving at destination.\n",
"\n",
"Extension: multiple lifts?\n",
"\n",
"Extension: limited capacity in lift"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"# More problems:\n",
"* [Advent of Code 2015](http://adventofcode.com/2015)\n",
"* [Advent of Code 2016](http://adventofcode.com/2016)\n",
"* https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=85NsAHJjTJ0C&pg=PA390&lpg=PA390&dq=phone+number+problem+programming+names&source=bl&ots=c7oC9JvpZz&sig=aNnW6t_nmGK7SyAKchK0MaxqbkA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnzcbbgs7RAhWKKcAKHQiFCDAQ6AEIJDAC#v=onepage&q=phone%20number%20problem%20programming%20names&f=false\n",
"* https://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Activities/Luks_Programming_Contest/\n",
"* https://www.reddit.com/r/dailyprogrammer/"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"# Related research\n",
"* https://computinged.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/graduating-dr-briana-morrison-posing-new-puzzles-for-computing-education-research/\n",
"* https://computinged.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/a-challenge-to-computing-education-research-make-measurable-progress/\n",
"* http://dl.acm.org.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/citation.cfm?doid=6592.6594\n",
"* https://computinged.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/power-law-of-practice-in-software-implementation-does-this-explain-the-w-going-away/\n",
"* https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/mckinley/305j/pair-hcs-2006.pdf"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {
"collapsed": true
},
"source": [
"Polyglot challenge languages\n",
"\n",
"- Python\n",
"- Ruby\n",
"- Haskell\n",
"- Lisp\n",
"- Prolog\n",
"- Ada\n",
"- C\n",
"- Brainfuck\n",
"- Whitespace\n",
"- x64 assembler\n",
"- Smalltalk\n",
"- Scala\n",
"- Clojure\n",
"- Lua\n",
"- JavaScript\n",
"- Java\n",
"- Dart"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Polyglot challenge: languages by day\n",
"\n",
"1. [Ticket prices](01-ticket-prices): Python\n",
"2. [Lift instructions](02-lifts): Brainfuck\n",
"3. [Door codes](03-door-codes): Dart\n",
"4. [Ghost leg, follow and pack](04-08-amidakuji): Clojure?\n",
"5. [Display board](05-display-board): JavaScript/Node.js\n",
"6. [Tour shapes](06-tour-shapes): Lua\n",
"7. [Virtual machine](07-interpreter): Haskell\n",
"8. [Word chains](08-word-chains): Prolog\n",
"9. [Resolving the bill](09-resolving-the-bill): Sense\n",
"10. [Word search](10-word-search): Ruby\n",
"\n",
"Scala, Clojure?\n",
"Sense? Day 9?"
]
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