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04 Effective Usage of The Course

This document provides advice for effectively studying algorithms. It notes that algorithms is a difficult course for most students. It recommends repeating materials if concepts are not understood and practicing problem solving. Problem solving skills take significant time and repetition to develop. Students should dedicate many hours weekly to practicing problems and should make earnest attempts before checking solutions. A to-do list approach can help students revisit problems they did not initially solve. Staying motivated, managing expectations, and eliminating boredom are also discussed.

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AmrAlaaEldin
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53 views11 pages

04 Effective Usage of The Course

This document provides advice for effectively studying algorithms. It notes that algorithms is a difficult course for most students. It recommends repeating materials if concepts are not understood and practicing problem solving. Problem solving skills take significant time and repetition to develop. Students should dedicate many hours weekly to practicing problems and should make earnest attempts before checking solutions. A to-do list approach can help students revisit problems they did not initially solve. Staying motivated, managing expectations, and eliminating boredom are also discussed.

Uploaded by

AmrAlaaEldin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Algorithms

Effective usage of the


course
Mostafa S. Ibrahim
Teaching, Training and Coaching for more than a decade!

Artificial Intelligence & Computer Vision Researcher


PhD from Simon Fraser University - Canada
Bachelor / Msc from Cairo University - Egypt
Ex-(Software Engineer / ICPC World Finalist)
Studying Algorithms
● Algorithms course is one the hardest courses for most students!
● Here are the possible scenarios:
○ You don’t understand the algorithm itself.
■ Repeating the materials 2-3 times, or using alternative sources will resolve this
○ You got the algorithm and its intuition, but you can’t understand the formal proof
■ I don’t present formal proofs in this course. You will do that on your own
■ You will give a trial. Keep going. Repeat later.
○ You got everything, but can’t solve non-trivial problems: this is the obstacle!
■ People who love problem solving, puzzles, and mathematics find it a reasonable
challenge
■ Others may find it more difficult to proceed smoothly
Gaining the skill: Fundamental facts!
● Problem-solving is NOT an easy skill to master
○ It will be painful but fun
○ It will take a lot of time and repetition
○ You will even fail to re-solve a problem you solved before
○ The process will change your mind totally
○ You must be patient!
○ You will have to repeat topics related to recursion a lot. This is normal!
● Make sure you have basic problem-solving skills from programming
○ Optional but recommended; solve easy algorithmic problems
○ You may use LeetCode website for that
○ Or solve from my Interviews sheet
○ Or solve from my competitions sheet if you target competitive programming
Gaining the skill: Fundamental facts!
● Practice makes perfect!
○ Consistency is KEY! Stopping/Starting is INEFFECTIVE and INEFFICIENT, and leads to
WEAK SKILLS.
○ Make sure to dedicate 5-10+ hours weekly
○ You must solve in the right way: you have to make an honest and earnest initial attempt
■ Never go to the solution without first making a SERIOUS attempt at the problem
■ Always approach learning with a positive attitude.
■ Dismiss doubts such as 'you can't do this'/'you're not good enough'
A serious trial for solving
● A common highly wrong approach
○ Try the problem for a few minutes
○ Tell yourself: 'I can't do it'/'It's too hard' etc...
○ 'I'll just check the solution, and learn from that!'
● Challenge yourself
○ When you read the problem, make a determined effort to solve it by yourself
○ When you get a hint, make another determined effort to solve it by yourself
○ When you think for X minutes, then your mind was training for X minutes, regardless of the
output!
■ Many students think If I couldn’t solve it, I wasted my time ⇒ This is wrong!
● Use a time-limit. Maybe 45-60 minutes. Don’t waste days on a few problems
○ If you have more thoughts, feel free to occasionally go beyond your self-imposed limit
Tackling a problem
● Please take 45-60 minutes to make a determined attempt at the solution.
(Feel free to take longer if necessary)
○ If you can’t make progress, check out my solution
○ If a hint is given, stop the video and make another sustained attempt for 5-10 minutes
○ If you eventually have to listen to my solution: please rewrite the code
■ It's BEST to try to rewrite it in your own style
● What if you can’t understand my solution?
○ Put it in a ToDo list and try it again later
● Think ahead
○ When you read an editorial or listen to a solution, don't listen to it all the way through
○ With every clarification or hint, think for another 5 minutes about it
○ This will make you stronger. You will learn the materials faster
ToDo list approach
● This is simple and effective
● When you can’t solve a problem
○ You made a sustained attempt for 45-60 minutes, without success.
○ Then you tried to understand my videos and editorials, but still can’t get it
● Don’t feel frustrated. This will happen a lot!
● Just mark it in your ToDo list
● Keep going and solve other problems
○ This, by itself, is increasing your problem-solving skills
● From time to time, return to the ToDo list
○ Surprise: you will likely find yourself able to solve some of them
● It's still okay if some problems remain unsolved!
○ Improvement will come over time
Solving order
● Some students just keep learning the algorithms and later, after the course is
done, they come back to solve the challenges
○ DON’T DO That
● What matters is the skill NOT the knowledge!
● There are a few ways to order the challenges
○ Path1: Solve easy and a few medium problems per topic first. Later solve the remaining
challenges. Recommended.
○ Path2: For each topic, try/finish all its problems.
● If you did well in this course, preparing for interviews is a smooth experience
Psychological Concerns
● Don’t compare yourself with your friends
○ Many factors decide the speed and level of progress in each one of us
○ Compare against yourself!
● Be cautious about unrealistic expectations: it is a long and difficult path
○ But you can do it with: 1) proper prerequisites/background 2) consistent long effort
● Be careful about the illusion of effort
○ E.g. solving a lot of easy problems. You must challenge yourself!
● It WILL be frustrating
○ You will fail a lot. You will have to repeatedly cover challenging materials.
● Some boredom might be inevitable
Eliminating Boredom
● Avoid distractions & social media
● Think about your priorities:
○ Don’t train less or more than you scheduled
● Stay motivated … be positive
● Google ‘Relaxation Techniques’
● Spirituality
● Learn new things … do other activities
● Socialize
● Arrange breaks: daily, weekly and long-term
“Acquire knowledge and impart it to the people.”

“Seek knowledge from the Cradle to the Grave.”

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