Python is awesome (Project Euler)
Neil Cerutti
neilc at norwich.edu
Wed Jan 2 14:11:24 EST 2013
On 2012-12-31, Roy Smith <roy at panix.com> wrote:
> There's a problem I just worked where you need to find the last
> 10 digits of some million-digit prime. Python's long ints
> don't help you there. What does help you is figuring out a way
> to solve the problem that's not brute-force. I think that's
> what Euler is all about.
I agree. The most interesting part of participating is finding
out how my solution could've been improved or just completely
replaced with zero programming in some memorable cases. My
algebra has gotten a major workout, and I've had to resurrect the
mostly-dead neurons in my skull in charge of calculus.
Participants sometimes come up with terrible failures that
nevertheless find the solution (I'm no exception, though I think
I learn my lesson in the discussion groups). It's a limitation of
the way answers are checked. Working to make a solution that's
complete and extensible yields the most educational benefits, I
think.
--
Neil Cerutti
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