How do you deal with frustrating problems?

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WakeMeAtThree     2017-11-12 10:37:31
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Hey all!

The last problem I solved made me really scratch my head and slowed my progress on CodeAbbey because I couldn't move on from it without solving it. How do you deal with a problem that frustrates you? On one hand, you can opt to skip it and move to other problems in order to keep moving and return to it later. On the other, you might not want to set a precedence of skipping hard problems and force yourself to solve, but you might run the risk of getting burnt out in your learning progress.

I would love to hear some takes on it from other CodeAbbey regulars. :)

Quandray     2017-11-12 12:27:18
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There's a few problems on here that I don't know how to handle. I move on to other problems, hoping that eventually I'll learn how to do them.

WakeMeAtThree     2017-11-13 18:42:08
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Hi Quandray/Graeme!

I looked up your links and I'm quite excited to speak with an accomplished programmer such as yourself. If you don't mind me asking:

Do you use this website as a way of picking up a different programming language or to expose yourself to areas you wouldn't have otherwise touched on previously?

You've got 11 more to reach the finish line (the current line), what problem are you currently working on?

What advice would you give to someone who spends more time learning programming than using it? Asking for a *ehm* friend ;)

goto     2017-11-14 19:41:52

I solved many more advanced problems before doing Star Medals, because i was convinced that it requires some complex math to solve it. Then i just tried to draw several stars in MS Paint and figured out the logic behind this task very quickly. The same applied to any other problem where i experienced difficulties - either i was overthinking or didn't take enough effort in order to understand it.

P.S. Unfortunately, you cannot solve all 213 tasks at the current moment, because links to the Interactive problems server seem to be broken. I hope some day this site admin will come back and fix them.

Quandray     2017-11-15 08:41:22
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Thanks.
I just like programming. I tried python a few years ago, but didn't like it, so I mainly stick to C/C++.
The last problem I did on here was over 2 years ago. I like this site, so now I keep an eye on the forum as I'm happy to help people who are stuck.
Of the problems I haven't done, with some of them I don't understand the maths, with "Algae Robot" there has to be some "trick" to solving it that I haven't discovered. Last time I had a look at "Connect Four" it wasn't working.
I wouldn't be able to "learn programming" without using it. I also learn a lot by looking at other people's code when they ask for help.
Advice: there's nothing wrong with spending more time learning than using. Maybe try helping people on here with python questions.
You'll also find me on a few of the other programming websites, e.g. open.kattis.com and practice.geeksforgeeks.org.

WakeMeAtThree     2017-11-17 09:15:13
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@Goto:

"Then i just tried to draw several stars in MS Paint and figured out the logic behind this task very quickly. The same applied to any other problem where i experienced difficulties - either i was overthinking or didn't take enough effort in order to understand it."

Drawing out the logic is fun! :D

I totally agree with you. I can't seem to think on code without sketching out some strategy or simple stupid diagrams on pen and paper first. You do bring an interesting point with the Star Medals problem. I also realized that difficulty might be a subjective issue with certain problems. Geometric questions such as Star Medal or even Game of Life might be easier because I have tools like CAD softwares and Processing that help with visual intuition. However, other problems that are data-driven such as Ground Zero depress me so much because I don't have the ability to resolve it mathematically and instead I have to solve it algorithmically.

@Quandray:

"I wouldn't be able to "learn programming" without using it. I also learn a lot by looking at other people's code when they ask for help. Advice: there's nothing wrong with spending more time learning than using. Maybe try helping people on here with python questions. You'll also find me on a few of the other programming websites, e.g. open.kattis.com and practice.geeksforgeeks.org."

Absolutely, I merely meant that I find myself solving standalone problems rather than creating actual projects (and solving its respective problems that arise). Though you seem to hint at the approach of learning by doing, which I think I'll be adopting soon once I cater to my tendency to be a completionist and finish the problems here.

I'll try my best to help out! I'll give those sites a try once I'm done, thanks for sharing. :)

goto     2017-11-20 01:13:27

Actually, Ground zero is one of the hardest problems in Codeabbey. And the most interesting one. At least for me, i really enjoyed solving this task. Maybe you tried to tackle it a bit too early in your progress. There are several easier problems about optimization which are a good "warmup" and skipping Ground zero for a while could have been beneficial for you. For me, on the other hand, it was completely opposite. I'm weak at maths and i spent hours searching for a mathematical formulas which can be implemented with the single line of code afterwards. Drawing out the logic didn't help in those cases, it's simply holes in my education. And many problems here are somehow math related, so if you're good at it, perhaps Ground zero is the first and the last task that depressed you.

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