Programming League 2004/05

• Edition VI of the Programming League will consist of ten sets of problems. A new problemset will be presented every approximately 3 weeks. Solutions can be submitted until midnight on the day of the deadline (which is always a Tuesday or Wednesday). The next set of problems will as a rule be presented the following day. Some problems may become available at a later date (details of this will be given on the day when the rest of the problemset is added). Every problemset will consist of at least 3 problems, stated in English. Solutions to problems may be submitted many times, and any such submission will be automatically checked and assessed on-line (within several seconds or minutes of submission). Only the best accepted solution of every contestant (for a given problem) will count in the final standings. League standings, current results and information about all contest submissions will be generated by the Sphere Online Judge and will be available for viewing to all contestants throughout the contest.

• All problems in the league will be of the type found at the Sphere Online Judge, either taken from the judge's archives, or added specifically for use in the league. As a rule, at least two of the problems in every problemset will be of the classical type, and one will sometimes be a challenge. A solution is regarded as correct if it is assessed as accepted by the judge.

• Any person who has an active account in the Sphere Online Judge system and has provided a valid e-mail address in the system is eligible to take part in the contest. Solving problems from many accounts at a time is strictly forbidden.

• Solutions may be submitted in any language supported by the online judge (unless otherwise stated in the description of a particular problem).

• The number of submissions per user per problem is limited to 256. All further submissions may be treated as void (and may consequently be ignored when calculating scores and standings). All solutions but the given contestant's best accepted solution to a given problem are treated as void. The number of points received for a solution to problem X is given by the formula:

  • For classical problems: score=1/(1+q) for all solutions (exceptions are made in the case of problemset 1 only). Parameter q is the ratio of the number of solutions to problem X and the average number of solutions to classical problems, taken over all problemsets until the current one containing problem X.
  • For challenges: score=1.5/rank, where rank=1,2,3... is the relative position of the solution in comparison to other contestants' solutions to this problem (solutions are ordered by the number of points awarded by the judge, and, in case of a tie, the solution with the earlier submission date is considered better). All solutions which received 0 points are excluded from rankings.
  • A problem which is not solved before the given deadline is automatically included in the next problemset as an additional task; if this happens score is additionally multiplied by the number of problemsets in which the task appeared, but never by more than 3.

  The total score of a contestant is the sum of scores awarded for individual problems. All scores are rounded to two places after the decimal point.

• Disclaimer: If necessity arises, rules concerning current and future problemsets may be slightly altered during the contest. Incorrect test cases for a problem will be removed from the test data as soon as they are spotted. Technical issues or errors in the test data may lead to the rejudging of solutions and consequent alteration of standings in the current problemset. Whereever possible, the organisers will try to perform all such actions at least 7 days before a problemset deadline. All issues unresolved by the above rules are subject to the organisers' interpretation, but relevant questions will usually be a topic of public discussion with contestants. The organisers' decision is final in all matters and can override contest rules. Violation of rules may lead to disqualification.

The main prize is the Polish edition of Donald E. Knuth's trilogy The Art of Computer Programming (Sztuka Programowania), published by WNT (series Klasyka Informatyki ; vol I: Algorytmy i programowanie, vol II: Algorytmy seminumeryczne, vol III: Sortowanie i wyszukiwanie). An alternative prize in a different language may also be arranged ;). Runners up will also receive books as prizes.

Students of the Faculty of ETI, who achieve a podium position automatically qualify to the official teams of the Gdansk University of Technology at the Polish Collegiate Team Programming contest (Akademickie Mistrzostwa Polski w Programowaniu Zespo³owym) the following school year.