Programming competitions involve creating algorithms to solve problems rather than providing one-word answers like in trivia competitions. The founder created the Algorithm Programming High School to maximize exposure to the field for interested students. The blueprint recommends committing to mastering a programming language through courses, setting up an IDE development environment, solving simple posted problems to get practice, and committing 10,000 hours to master the skill of algorithm programming.

1. Introduction to the Algorithm
Game
by
Francis Orozco
Founder
Algorithm Programming High School

2. What we’ll cover today
What are Programming Competitions?
Why I created the Algorithm Programming High
School
Blueprint on How to Get Started in the Algorithm
Game

3. What are Programming
Competitions?

4. Problem
If we list all the natural numbers below 10 that are
multiples of 3 or 5, we get 3, 5, 6 and 9. The sum of
these multiples is 23.
Find the sum of all the multiples of 3 or 5 below 1000.

5. Problem
The prime 41, can be written as the sum of six consecutive
primes:
41 = 2 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13
This is the longest sum of consecutive primes that adds to a
prime below one-hundred.
The longest sum of consecutive primes below one-thousand that
adds to a prime, contains 21 terms, and is equal to 953.
Which prime, below one-million, can be written as the sum of
the most consecutive primes?

6. Definition
A programming competition is a lot different than
your normal trivia, question and answer type of
competition when compared to lets say, Battle of the
Brains, etc. It has more depth because we are
creating an algorithm rather than a one word answer.

7. Action Plan
Maximize the exposure of the group, invite friends
and students having similar interest

8. Why I created Algorithm
Programming High School

9. The Burning Questions
Why do you want to program?
Why do people want to program?

10. The Burning Questions
Why do people have hobbies and projects
eventhough they have full time work?
Why do people become hackers? (In the context of
Richard Stallman’s ‘playful cleverness’ not the stupid
Hollywood ‘cracker’ context.

11. Real World Answers
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=711323
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=261660

12. Action Plan
Find the contacts of school officials

13. Blueprint on How to Get Started
with the Algorithm Game

14. Strategy
It's the right balance of learning the theory behind it
and learning by doing.

15. Strategy
Analysis, analysis, paralysis
Take time to design, then code

16. For the Theory Part
Commit yourself (one month per language) in
mastering the language through MIT courseware
(OOP concepts are optional)
I have faith in MIT that they deliver the past content
Do their homework

17. Setup your Development
Environment
Install your favorite IDE
Use Ideone (today’s generation is so lucky)

18. Something to look forward
I will post a simple, ad-hoc, straight forward problems
(so that it won’t be traumatic) and solve it

19. Action Plan
Find time to master a programming language
Commit yourself in solving problems
It takes 10,000 hours of applied practice to be a
master in any field (Peter Norvig)

20. Questions?

21. Thank You!