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Acing the USACO Bronze Competition MEAP V01
1. Copyright_2023_Manning_Publications
2. welcome
3. 1_USACO_Bronze
4. 2_Solving_and_Coding:_Competition_Specifics
5. 3_Complexity_Analysis
6. 4_Modeling_and_Simulation
MEAP Edition
Version 1
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competition/discussion
You have just entered the wonderful world of competitive programming. This
book will navigate you through that world, all the way to the Bronze level
and beyond. After reading this book, not only will you be able to ace the
Bronze level competition, but you'll also be well-equipped to continue your
journey to the higher, more elite levels of competitive programming, if you
should choose.
To make the best use of the book, you need to be able to program
comfortably in either Python, C++, or Java. The programs we will write do
not require any advanced language features (such as classes or data
structures); rather, we’ll focus on basic control-flow statements (if, while,
loops), logic expressions, and arrays (or lists).
The book is divided into three parts, which you are encouraged to read in
order, but I suspect many will jump straight to Part 2. That’s okay as well.
The first part covers the basics. It starts with a description of what the
USACO competition is, how to submit a USACO question, and how to work
with the USACO portal. It then describes best practices for competition
coding, debugging, and practicing. It wraps up with an introduction to the
concept of complexity analysis, which will be used throughout the rest of the
book.
The second part, which might be the entry point for some of you, covers
specific problem types which are typical in USACO. It covers modeling
problems, search problems, and geometric problems, then closes with a
discussion of strings, ad-hoc problems, and advanced techniques.
The third and last part gives information on additional competition resources,
and how to proceed beyond the Bronze level. Competitive programming
offers a lifelong path to pursue and enjoy, and this part sets you on that path.
We hope that you enjoy this book and that it will occupy an important place
on your digital (and physical!) bookshelf.
We also encourage you to post any questions or comments you have about
the content in the liveBook Discussion forum. We appreciate knowing where
we can make improvements and increase your understanding of the material
and your enjoyment of the exploration.
In this book
A journey of a million miles starts with one step, and you are now taking this
first step. Congratulations! This chapter will orient you to the USACO
Bronze competition. Very soon, you’ll be solving and submitting your first
problem.
In section 1.2, we solve, and submit, a USACO problem. We will get you
used to this process, which you will repeat many times throughout the book.
In the last section, 1.3, we’ll consider a few suggestions on how to make the
most of your time and effort as you practice with this book.
That’s all you’ll need to know to get started! In the final part of this book,
we'll delve into the logistics of the competition and explore advanced levels
in more detail. Let’s begin!
Figure 1.1 Chapter 1 map. Answering common questions, submitting a USACO problem, and
describing how to effectively use the book.
1.1 USACO Bronze FAQ
Coach B and four students are gathered in room 216, Tuesday, right after
school. This is the first meeting of the USACO Bronze Club.
Coach B: Welcome to our first club meeting! I’m happy to see you all. I
know you have many questions, and I will try to answer all of them. But my
main goal for today is to get us solving and submitting a full question to
USACO!
Coach B: Great minds think alike! So, here is what we’ll do. Here’s a pad of
Post-it notes. Come on up here, all of you, and write your most pressing
questions on the Post-its. Put those on the board, and as a team, try to group
them into similar subjects. After about 5 minutes we’ll reconvene. Sound like
a good plan?
The team gives thumbs-up and nods. There’s a flurry of motion as they
scribble down questions, consult each other, and arrange and rearrange their
Post-its on the board. As the room quiets, Coach B addresses the group.
Coach B: Good collection of questions! I will try and answer most of them.
Oh, first, an introduction! I did say no icebreakers, but we do need to have a
proper introduction. Let me start. My name is Dr. Zachi Baharav, and you
can call me Coach B. As most of you know, I teach Math and Computer
Science here at this high school, and I am also coaching two clubs: the Chess
Club and the USACO club. I always learn from my students about new ways
to solve problems, so I am really looking forward to what new things you’ll
come up with this year. Now, if we can go around, and just say your name,
grade, and anything else you wish to share. Here, you can go first please, then
go around in a circle.
Ryan: Hi, I’m Ryan. A sophomore, tenth grader. Last year I had cross-
country practice right when the club was meeting, so I couldn’t join. This
year, the time works. I’m taking AP-CS right now, and I know Python and
Java. Python is my stronger language, though. Oh, and I am happy to try and
learn C++. I heard it is not too different from Java.
Rachid: I’m Rachid. Also a freshman. Annie and I have 6 classes together,
and now this club. I’ve been going to programming camps since 5th grade, so
I’ve gotten fluent in C++ and Python. I actually tried USACO last year, but it
was way too hard. I hope this year I can learn how to do it right.
Mei: Hi, I’m Mei. I’m a junior, eleventh grader. I never did programming
camps or anything of sorts, but I took AP-CS last year and I really enjoyed it.
This year I’m taking Data Structures. Coach B was my teacher last year, and
he recommended I try this club, so here I am! I studied C++ over the summer
with an online course, so I guess you can say I know Java and a little bit of
C++. By the way, I’d never even heard about USACO before Coach B told
me about it.
Coach B turns his attention to the board with the Post-its, shown in figure 1.2.
Coach B: I see that you’ve settled on a few basic clusters of questions that
you all want to know. Thanks for not using the whole pad of Post-its!
Figure 1.2 Questions about USACO, in three different groups, to be answered shortly.
Coach B: Let’s look at the first group of questions, in yellow. You’ve agreed
that you want to know when the competition is, and how it works. You want
to know how to pass: how to get to the higher level. Perfect, yes, let’s cover
these basics. I’ll add some bullet points here below the Post-its.
Coach B: We’ll delve into it more as we get closer, but in short, the first
contest is in December, and the last one is in March. You have four events,
and you can go to all of them, or whichever ones you wish. Every new
participant starts at the Bronze level. To be promoted to the Silver level, you
need to pass one of the contests. Just one is enough.
Figure 1.3 Common questions about the procedural aspects of the USACO Bronze competition.
While Coach B talks, pausing to write, the team scans the “When and how?”
and “Promotion” boxes.
Ryan: Four hours? That’s really long. Are there any breaks?
Coach B: Well, it’s up to four hours. You may finish early, but yes, it might
be up to four hours, and there’s no official break. Once you start, your clock
starts ticking. You have a little timer on the top of your competition page
which shows how much time you have left, and it counts down from four
hours to zero. You can’t pause it. You’re definitely welcome to get up from
your chair and take a stretch, go and get some water, take a bathroom break,
etc. But it’s on your time.
Coach B: Well, yes and no. You do have to stay focused for this amount of
time. That’s part of test-taking at high school and at these levels. But on the
other hand, time flies when you’re in the thick of solving a problem. You
barely notice how the hours go by.
The team looks at each other. Four hours is definitely up there with the SAT
and other big tests.
Coach B: Trust me, you can handle focusing for four hours! Now, the next
group of your questions: let’s see; they’re about the content of the
competition and the material we will need to know. Here, I’ll jot everything
down for you.
Annie: Well, aren’t all school tests always about solving problems?
Coach B: Not always. Some tests focus on your ability to memorize details
or techniques. Here, let me put it another way. See how I’ve listed what you
DON’T need to study? In earlier years, I had students dashing off to learn
complicated algorithms, watching videos about graph algorithms and
dynamic programming. Of course, everything you learn is helpful, but those
fancy techniques just aren’t the focus. The focus is solving problems. In other
words: in terms of technique and programming, you all probably know
enough to pass as-is. You need to be competent programmers, and you will
get better with practice, but that would be a bonus—a side effect, really. The
main thing you’ll learn here in the club will be how to solve problems.
Coach B: I see you’re not convinced! But wait a couple of minutes, until we
solve a real USACO problem. I think it will become clearer.
Ryan: So just to make sure, you’re saying that I don’t have to learn C++ for
the competition, right?
Coach B: Absolutely right. You said your preferred language for coding is
Python, and you should be able to do well with it.
Mei: Just for the record, I’m still debating between Java and C++, but we’ll
see.
Coach B: Sounds good! Your last group of questions right here in figure 1.5
is focused on the time commitment.
Rachid: What kind of hints and help? Like, is there an answer key?
Coach B: Yes, there is an answer key, and much more than that. We’ll touch
on it later today when we will talk about how to practice. But, in short, for
every question you get assigned, you will have hints at various levels, and the
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