]> UT UPE :: Rules

Before the Contest

  • Each person must compete individually.
  • Entrants may bring any written resources, including but not limited to:
    • Books
    • Manuals
    • Program Listings
  • Entrants may NOT bring machine readable resources, including but not limited to:
    • No CDs
    • No Floppy Disks
    • No Flash Drives

During the Contest

  • Problem submissions must be in either C++ or Java. The versions used will be:
    • C++: g++ 4.1.2
    • Java: javac 1.5.0
  • The judges machines will be on Linux. If you use a Windows machine, then it is your responsibility that you write code that can compile with g++.
  • Entrants may use only one computational device, namely the computer assigned to them.
    • No Calculators
    • No Cell Phones
    • No PDAs
  • Entrants will be given 5 problems to solve. The problems will have sample input data and sample output. The judges will use a different set of test cases while judging submissions.
  • Entrants may submit a solution to any problem at any time during the contest. The submission must be made through the contest software PC^2.
    • Entrants are responsible for knowing how to make a submission with PC^2 (help will be given during the practice session).
    • All input will be from standard input. (cin, System.in, etc.)
    • All output will be to standard output. (cout, System.out, etc.)
    • Each submission must be a single source file.
  • Judges will respond to each submission with one of these rulings:
    • Yes, this means the submission was correct.
    • No - compile error, this means the submission did not compile on the judge's machine. It is foolish to submit code that does not compile.
    • No - run-time error, this means that the submission crashed (threw an exception, segfaulted, etc.) while run on the judge's test cases.
    • No - time limit exceeded, this means that the submission did not halt withing 10 seconds while run on the judge's test cases.
    • No - wrong answer, this means that the submission did not give the correct answer while run on the judge's test cases.
    • No - presentation error, this means that the output of the submission differed from the correct output based on formatting considerations.
    • No - other - contact staff, this means that something unexpected has happened. A judge will contact you shortly.
  • Entrants can submit clarification requests using PC^2.
  • The judges will only answer clarifications about the meaning of the problem. They will not answer questions regarding how to solve a problem or any details pertaining to an entrants solution.
  • Judges decisions will be considered final and as such are beyond dispute.

Scoring

  • Each correct submission is worth 1 point.
  • The most points wins.
  • Ties will be broken by time-penalty points.
  • The fewer time-penalty points wins.
  • Each correct submission adds 1 time-penalty point for each minute from the start of the contest to the time of the submission.
  • Each incorrect submissions adds 20 time-penalty points, as long as the entrant eventually solves the problem.

Prizes

  • Acer Aspire ONE D150 Netbook (Amazon)
  • 8GB iPod Touch (Indeed.com)
  • $100 Fry’s Gift Certificate (Indeed.com)

Disqualification

  • Not following these rules or acting in any way inappropriate will be grounds for disqualification. Remember that intention of this contest is to have fun.