131–140 of 162 posts
I still didn't understand the dynamic programming chapter. What's the best way to prepare for DP in interviews?
Do 100 of these problems: https://leetcode.com/tag/dynamic-programming/
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> And I love that the problems remain difficult and meaningful And there it is, your argument comes down to gatekeeping. If all the problems have been publicly solved, as you said, then what's the harm of having a solutions guide? The cheaters can already find what they're looking for and it helps the self-learners who are actually trying to learn.
They haven't. A lot of the exercises are unsolved research problems. You're missing the point entirely. You're just banging your head against "Different people learn in different ways". I am saying, that the thing this course, (that I took by the way), is trying to teach students is the skill of writing proofs effectively. A solutions guide, as you imagine it, would not teach students to write proofs effectively. Sin…
What you're saying directly contradicts the professor's own statement:
> Please do not ask me for solutions. With very rare exceptions, I will say no, even if you are an instructor. I recognize that my stance limits the utility of these materials, especially for self-learners, but I'm trying to optimize the learning experience of my own students at Illinois. The point of homework is not to solve that particular homework problem, but to practice solving a type of problem and get honest feedback on your progress. I've found that when solutions are available, my own students are much more likely to rely on them, rather than trying to figure out the problems themselves, which means they get both less practice and less honest feedback, which means they do worse on exams and in the course overall.
> And while I firmly believe that each student is ultimately responsible for their own learning, I also believe that it's my responsibility as an instructor to help them. Putting dessert on the table does not help anyone eat their vegetables.
tl;dr: students tend to rely on solutions when they are available, they don't learn as much and get worse grades which reflects badly on him.
It has _nothing_ to do with a tradeoff of writing simpler explanations for a more printable guide. He even acknowledges that it limits the utility for self-learners, which you disagree. He's a professor with obligations to his students so I understand his decision, just sucks that an amazing book won't be more accessible to people.
Good ‘ole CS 373, had Erickson back in 2002 and it’s def. a defining course in CS at UIUC. The answers to a lot of these are now google-able; you’ll learn more by researching than being spoon fed the solution! Imagine those of us students back then when google wasn’t a verb yet trying to solve these problems!
All of the X73 classes were defining for me. Probably my favorite classes and ones that changed the way my brain works.
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Why are you so mad. Your argument is so overblown that even the modicum of value that is in your argument is rendered useless. Why don’t you ask people to invent math, then, and not show them the way? Why even teach anything? Of course people learn by checking their proof and being thorough, but it’s up to them. Solutions can provide certainty for people, much like how peers and peer review system can in science. Eve…
I TAed for this course. That's why I'm so mad. I have a personal stake in this game and you're talking out of your ass. I ain't asking them to invent math any more than I ask a painter to invent painting, or a writer to invent writing. Do they have solutions guides? I'm not asking anyone to invent math. I'm asking them to work through the solutions and attempt to find a proof themselves. A _proof_. Not a solution. Ch…
> The entire value I got out of this course in undergrad was technical writing. Learning how to actually "write" a proof, and not just nonsensically sling notation at a poor soul. Comparing Jeff's writing with mine, seeing where I tripped up, and trying again.
Specifically:
> Comparing Jeff's writing with mine, seeing where I tripped up, and trying again.
Hey, you get it! You spent an entire screen trying to pretend that having model solutions is wrong and useless and pointless, but you made a slip up and admitted you've known the value all along! Oopsie.
But yeah, I understand your point (kind of), but you yourself seem to find value in comparing your solutions with the 'correct' ones — not only the contents, but the formulation as well. Do you find it so hard that others, maybe some that aren't from Illinois at all and just like the book, would do the same?
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I TAed for this course. That's why I'm so mad. I have a personal stake in this game and you're talking out of your ass. I ain't asking them to invent math any more than I ask a painter to invent painting, or a writer to invent writing. Do they have solutions guides? I'm not asking anyone to invent math. I'm asking them to work through the solutions and attempt to find a proof themselves. A _proof_. Not a solution. Ch…
I won't comment on your attitude, to not stir up your emotions even more. I'll just pick a little paragraph from your comment: > The entire value I got out of this course in undergrad was technical writing. Learning how to actually "write" a proof, and not just nonsensically sling notation at a poor soul. Comparing Jeff's writing with mine, seeing where I tripped up, and trying again. Specifically: > Comparing Jeff's…
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I TAed for this course. That's why I'm so mad. I have a personal stake in this game and you're talking out of your ass. I ain't asking them to invent math any more than I ask a painter to invent painting, or a writer to invent writing. Do they have solutions guides? I'm not asking anyone to invent math. I'm asking them to work through the solutions and attempt to find a proof themselves. A _proof_. Not a solution. Ch…
I won't comment on your attitude, to not stir up your emotions even more. I'll just pick a little paragraph from your comment: > The entire value I got out of this course in undergrad was technical writing. Learning how to actually "write" a proof, and not just nonsensically sling notation at a poor soul. Comparing Jeff's writing with mine, seeing where I tripped up, and trying again. Specifically: > Comparing Jeff's…
You can’t possibly write all the other ones. It’s not humanly possible. Try it. You’ll get a Turing award if you do.
I think there are more than enough books to learn algorithms now. But there are a very little amount of resources that teach how to use them to solve problems.
Do you have personal recommendations for books to use for self-study for base algos knowledge?
As an extension... whether one should read it depends on the goals. If you want to ace google style algorithm questions, you are better off spending an equivalent time churning through hackerrank (etc). This book will serve more as deep dive for curious minds that would put you (far) ahead of most devs in understanding, but you need to work through the exercises (or pair w/ leetcode / hackerrank) to demonstrate as much in an interview.
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They haven't. A lot of the exercises are unsolved research problems. You're missing the point entirely. You're just banging your head against "Different people learn in different ways". I am saying, that the thing this course, (that I took by the way), is trying to teach students is the skill of writing proofs effectively. A solutions guide, as you imagine it, would not teach students to write proofs effectively. Sin…
Thanks for the more reasonable take, though I still have to disagree. What you're saying directly contradicts the professor's own statement: > Please do not ask me for solutions. With very rare exceptions, I will say no, even if you are an instructor. I recognize that my stance limits the utility of these materials, especially for self-learners, but I'm trying to optimize the learning experience of my own students at…
The world needs an algorithms book that shows a modicum of humility to its readers. A book that assumes that more than simple children are reading it (incidentally, and in a puzzling contradiction - also using needlessly convoluted English to express ideas). Hopefully I can do something about that ‘one day’.
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Thanks for the more reasonable take, though I still have to disagree. What you're saying directly contradicts the professor's own statement: > Please do not ask me for solutions. With very rare exceptions, I will say no, even if you are an instructor. I recognize that my stance limits the utility of these materials, especially for self-learners, but I'm trying to optimize the learning experience of my own students at…
Thank you for engaging the other commenter and articulating my stance better than I could have. Also - while I have deep respect (I truthfully do) for the expertise of folks who teach this material - I have lost patience for their patronising tones and unhelpful assumptions about the folks that might read this book and books like it. The world needs an algorithms book that shows a modicum of humility to its readers.…
What's funny to me is that UIUC offers an online CS masters program now. Not having accessible solution guides seems like a disadvantage to these students.