Python Essentials for Competitive Programming and Algorithm Contests
1. Efficient Input Handling
In competitive programming, reading data efficiently is crucial. Python provides several ways to handle single and multiple lines of input.
# Reading a single string
user_data = input()
# Reading and converting to an integer
base_value = int(input())
# Reading multiple space-separated integers into variables
start, ...
Posted on Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:30:36 +0000 by jpraj
C Programming Algorithms: String Manipulation, Arrays, and Matrix Operations
Alphabetic Substitution CipherImplementing a Caesar-like cipher that shifts English letters by one position while inverting their case. Lowercase letters become uppercase and shift forward, while uppercase letters become lowercase and shift forward.#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>
int main() {
int current_char;
while ( ...
Posted on Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:33:56 +0000 by LiamH
Solutions for Codeforces Round 855 (Div. 3)
Problem A: Is It a Cat?
Givan a string and its length, output "YES" if the string satisfies the following conditions; otherwise, output "NO":
The string consists of exactly four segments.
Each segment contains only one letter (case-insensitive), in the exact sequence: 'm', 'e', 'o', 'w'.
There are t test cases.
Approach
Th ...
Posted on Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:02:01 +0000 by mindrage00
Bash String Manipulation Techniques
Concatenating StringsVariables can be joined by placing them adjacent to each other.prefix="sys"
suffix="_log"
combined="${prefix}${suffix}"
echo "$combined" # Output: sys_logExtracting Substrings by IndexRetrieve a portion of a string by specifying the starting position and length using the format ${variable:offset:length}.text="deployment"
s ...
Posted on Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:51:45 +0000 by kitegirl
Python Data Processing and String Manipulation Exercises
Selective Divisor Extraction
Identify integers within a specified range that are divisible by either 5 or 6, but exclude those divisible by both (30).
def find_special_divisors(limit=10000):
results = []
for num in range(1, limit + 1):
if (num % 5 == 0 or num % 6 == 0) and num % 30 != 0:
results.append(num)
retur ...
Posted on Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:32:59 +0000 by Javizy
Finding the Longest Palindromic Substring: Three Algorithmic Approaches
Given a string s, the objective is to locate and return longest substring that reads the same forwards and backwards.
Examples
Input: s = "babad"
Output: "bab"
Note: "aba" is also a valid answer.
Input: s = "cbbd"
Output: "bb"
Input: s = "a"
Output: "a"
Input: s = "a ...
Posted on Sat, 27 Jun 2026 17:42:13 +0000 by Sul
Algorithm Implementation Challenges and Solutions
Exponential Calculation
This solution calculates the power of 2 for a given non-negative integer n. Instead of iterating, we utilize bit shifting for efficiency.
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
std::cin.tie(nullptr);
int exponent;
std::cin >> exponent;
long long resul ...
Posted on Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:46:32 +0000 by TheBrandon
Essential String Manipulation Techniques in Python
Combining Strings
Using the "+" Operator
The "+" operator allows concatenation of multiple strings.
str1 = "aaa"
str2 = "bbb"
result = str1 + str2
print(result)
# Output: aaabbb
Note that direct concatenation with non-string types is not allowed:
num = 100
str1 = "hello"
# print(str1 + num) # ...
Posted on Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:08:58 +0000 by walnoot
Methods to Eliminate Trailing Whitespace in Java Strings
Java strings can accumulate trailing whitespace from sources such as user input or file I/O. This excess whitespace can lead to logical errors in programs or degrade user experience. The standard String.trim() method removes whitespace from both ends of a string. To specifically target trailing whitespace, alternative approaches are necessary.
...
Posted on Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:39:02 +0000 by crisward
License Key Formatting Algorithm
Problem Description
Design an algorithm to reformat license keys according to specific rules. A license key consists of alphanumeric characters and dashes (-). These dashes seperate the characters into groups.
Given a required group size K, rearrange the key so that every group except possibly the first contains exactly K characters. The first ...
Posted on Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:09:19 +0000 by Rithotyn