Challenge of the Month - December 2011

Question

Welcome to the monthly SmallBasic Challenge!

These challenges are intended for people who are learning to program or for more experienced programmers who want to start using SmallBasic after using a different language.  Some will be easy, some will be hard - but they will all make you think, and more importantly be GREAT FUN!

Please post your solutions / partial solutions / questions / feedback etc. into this thread that will remain 'sticky' for the month.  The only rule is that your solution must use standard SmallBasic methods (no extensions).

It would be good if people could post their problems with these challenges so that a discussion can start so that everyone can learn from each other.

Easy Challenge 1

Write a program to calculate the value of a savings account.  The input should be the initial value invested, the number of years the saving will be for, and an interest rate percent.  The output is the value of the savings at the end of the term.

Remember compound interest!
(http://www.moneychimp.com/articles/finworks/fmfutval.htm)

Easy Challenge 2

Get the Turtle to draw a Christmas tree or other festive shape (e.g. a star).

Intermediate Challenge

Import the following code sample (XMW920), there are a number of errors - fix these.  Most of the errors prevent the sample compiling so it should be relatively easy to identify these from the compiler error reports.  Click on these to take you to the offending line.

There is also one other error that allows the code to run, but doesn't work as expected, so you will need to test the code.

When all the errors are detected, the code works fine, but it is not 'good' code.  It jumps all-over-the-place using GoTo statements and is very hard to follow.

The remainder of this challenge is to rewrite the code with a good structure using no GoTo statements if possible, using any methods you think make the code clearer (possibly Arrays, While or Subroutines etc), also comment it.

Advanced Challenge 1

Write a program or sequence of programs to discover the largest integer that SmallBaic can handle before it crashes.  Put another way, what is the value for 'largeNumber' written out below, such that the following line adding 1 to it causes a crash.

TextWindow.WriteLine("This number is OK "+largeNumber)
largeNumber = largeNumber + 1

Supplemental, what is the significance of this number?

Advanced Challenge 2

How many positive integer solutions are there to this equation?

1000+x+y+z = x*y*z

Each solution is a set of values for x, y and z that satisfy the equation, such as x=10, y=4, z=26.

How fast can you get SmallBasic to calculate the answer?

Do you have an idea for a future challenge? Please post it here!

Answer 1

My entry for the hardest challenge;

 

LargestNumber = 0
start:
TextWindow.Clear()
TextWindow.Write(LargestNumber)
File.WriteContents("C:\Users\largest.number", LargestNumber)
LargestNumber = LargestNumber + 1
Goto start

It goes faster without the writing of content, but then it doesn't record the largest number.
You'll still have to leave it for a while.

Answer 2

LMcSherry,

So do you know what the largest number is?

While your program will work, it will take longer than the age of the Universe (much longer) on my PC with no TextWIndow output.

Answer 3

LMcSherry,

So do you know what the largest number is?

While your program will work, it will take longer than the age of the Universe (much longer) on my PC with no TextWIndow output.

Removing TextWindow.Clear() gives a slight speed-boost.

I will re-think/improve the speed of the program.

EDIT: Small Basic is really slow compared to C#. I did the same challenge with some C# code, and by the time SB had got to 3000 C# was at over 10000.

Answer 4

I know that my entry to the Largest Number challenge does not follow the requested format, but, I am treating this as a learning exercise.  I have uploaded RLV949 which shows my conclusions as I struggled with this challenge.  I would appreciate any feedback nonetheless.

 

Answer 5

My revised entry to the XMW920 challenge.

 

'Entry in December challenge to improve XMW920.
another = "Y"
While another <> "N" And another <> "n"
  TextWindow.Clear()  
  count = 0  'Initialise counter
  Instructions() 'Display user instructions
  enterNumber() 'Get first number
  enterNumber() 'Get second number
  operation = " "  'Clear previous operation for multiple passes
  getOperation()  'Get Operation
  TextWindow.WriteLine(" " + num1 + " " + operation + " " + num2 + " = " + result) 'Write result
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Do you wish to perform another calculation? Y / N")
  another = TextWindow.Read()
EndWhile

Sub enterNumber  'Subroutine to get user input. with test to see if it is pass one or two (numbered 0 and 1).
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter a number")
  If count = 0 Then
    num1 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
  ElseIf count = 1 Then 
    num2 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
  EndIf
  count = count + 1  
EndSub

Sub getOperation 'Subroutine to get user input. Using while to ensure a valid operation type.  
  While (operation <> "+" And operation <> "-" And operation <> "*" And operation <> "/") 
    TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter an operation (+,-,*,/)")    
    operation = Textwindow.Read()    
    If (operation = "+") Then
      result = num1 + num2
    ElseIf (operation = "-") Then
      result = num1 - num2
    ElseIf (operation = "/") Then
      result = num1 / num2
    ElseIf (operation = "*") Then      
      result = num1 * num2    
    EndIf
  EndWhile  
EndSub

Sub Instructions  'Subroutine to display instructions.
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Please key your first number and Enter")
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Then key your second number and Enter")
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Then key the operation you wish to perform + - * /")
  TextWindow.WriteLine("")
EndSub

Answer 6

My answer to the Easy Challenge #1.

My first try had the formula wrong, but this answer seems to work right.

' 1st try Publish code: KTP276
' 2nd try Publish code: VFC996

TextWindow.WriteLine("Please enter your initial deposit:")
principle = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
TextWindow.WriteLine("Please enter your APR:")
apr = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
TextWindow.WriteLine("Please enter the number of years:")
years = TextWindow.ReadNumber()

futureValue = principle * Math.Power((1 + (apr * .01)), years)

TextWindow.WriteLine("Your account:")
TextWindow.WriteLine("  Principal: $" + principle)
TextWindow.WriteLine("  Interest rate: " + apr + "%")
TextWindow.WriteLine("  Number of years: " + years + " yrs")
TextWindow.WriteLine("  Future Value: $" + futureValue)

---

Allen

Answer 7

My entry to December Easy Challenge Number 2.     I hope you consider the shape festive.

GraphicsWindow.Width = 750
GraphicsWindow.Height = 500

Turtle.Speed = 10
i = 40

Turtle.PenUp()
GraphicsWindow.PenWidth = 70
Turtle.Turn(250)
Turtle.Move(100)
Turtle.Turn(110)


For j = 1 to 8
  i = i - 5
  GraphicsWindow.BackgroundColor = GraphicsWindow.GetRandomColor()
  GraphicsWindow.PenColor = GraphicsWindow.GetRandomColor()
  Turtle.PenUp()
  Turtle.Turn(90)
  Turtle.Move(25)
  Turtle.TurnLeft()
  Turtle.Move(2.5)
  Turtle.PenDown()
  Draw()  
EndFor  

Sub Draw
  For a = 1 To 32
    Turtle.Move(i)
    Turtle.Turn(11.25)
  EndFor  
EndSub

Bert

Answer 8

Advanced Challenge   search maxnumber   MHP128 

Push run button(F5) 15 times.  (Even if PC stops)

Answer 9

Intermediate Challenge -

xmw920-0

The original code with the bug fixes is still there, its just commented out.  That was easier for me to compare what I was doing with what I still needed when coming up with the re-write.  If you uncomment it, it will still work by itself without even getting to the re-written code.  So no need to copy & paste or anything like that.

Does anyone know a way to doublecheck the operations input without a subroutine or a goto statement?

---

Allen

Answer 10

Kiwi Bert & NaochanON,

Both good attempts and you are on the right lines, but can you tell what the largest number actually is.  You can test your value with the code below, which should cause a crash:

largestNumber = 'Type your integer number here
largestNumber = largestNumber+1

Its early in the month to give any substantial clues and it is supposed to be a harder challenge so keep thinking about it!

The number starts with a 7 and has more than 20 digits.

Allen Shmallen,

Very clear and good answers to simple and intermediate questions, you can use a While loop for the input testing (basically keep asking the question while the input doesn't meet the validation) - the recursion you use (calling the routine again is OK, but a While would probably be a little simpler to follow - simple is good).

Answer 11

Here is my entry for the Advanced Challenge.

The largest number will be of the form 1111.......11111 in binary.
First we need to discover the largest power of 2 that can be stored. I experimented with this code (CBV920)

For x=0 To 95
  TextWindow.WriteLine(x + " : " + Math.Power(2,x))
EndFor

and found that the highest value that x could be was 95 before the program crashed.
Therefore the largest number that can be stored is 2^95 + 2^94 + 2^93 + ... 2^2 + 2^1 + 2^0
which I calculated with this code (MHP128-0)

power=1
sum=0
For x=0 To 95
  For y=1 To x
    power=power*2
  EndFor
  sum=sum+power
  power=1 
EndFor
TextWindow.WriteLine("Largest Number is : " + sum)
'TextWindow.WriteLine("Largest Number is : " + (sum+1)) This line crashes the program as the number is too big

which gives the largest number as
79228162514264337593543950335

which passes litdev's test code

TextWindow.WriteLine("This number is OK "+largeNumber)
largeNumber = LargeNUmber + 1

Edit: Actually that number does not seem to work with litdev's code, but it does in mine ... strange!

My code prints out that number and then the last line will crash it when it tries to add 1 but litdev's code thinks that my number is too big before 1 is added!

 

Answer 12

Perfect answer, this is 12 bytes of 8 bits each (96 bits) - 1 bit (95) for a + or - , therefore smallest number is -largestNumber.  My code was PFJ454.

The key is that numbers are stored in binary and in chunks of 8 bits (bytes).

Now I have to think up new tough challenge! Will post at top when I think it up.

EDIT

I see the same issue as rubikWizard with my own test!

x = 79228162514264337593543950335 'crashes - strange - I never actually tried this since I assumed I knew what was going on - wrong!

Answer 13

The reason I wrote my own 'power' code was because using math.power seems to give severe rounding errors (see my first bit of code), whereas doing it 'manually' gave a better result. I think there must be something going on with SmallBasic changing data types from integer to floating or something, but I can't think what it is actually doing! It never seems to output numbers in standard (exponent) form when they get too big ... will have to think a bit more!

Answer 14

I see you used my question as the basis for this month's challenge. That is far beyond me as i started programming only in november. Is there actually any language that can handle infinite numbers? I have an idea for a challenge-write a program to assign seats in aeroplane.

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Answer 15

No, most languages have a maximum number, usually it is at least 10^100, 1 with 100 zeros after it - this is a Google (company named after it).

Challenge

Estimate the number of cubic centimeters in the observable universe.  Speed of light is 300,000,000 meter/sec, age of Universe is about 13,000,000,000 years, 100 cm in a meter and volume is distance*distance*distance (cubed).

Eventually it is possible to exceed the maximum number on any language I have have come across, perhaps simply with 1/0.

When this happens most languages treat the number as undefined (infinity if you like) and call it something like NaN (Not a Number) or just crash.

You can't really do normal arithmetic with infinity so it isn't really a problem not having it.  The number of situations where you actually need numbers bigger than 10^100 are usually quite specific and special methods will be used.

infinity * anything = infinity

infinity / anything = infinity

infinity + anything = infinity

infinity - anything = infinity

infinity / infinity = anything

The bigger problem is the number of digits or precision of a number, for example pi (3.141592653589..) is an infinite non-repeating series of digits which no computer can fully capture, so all calculations using it are approximate.  Usually this is fine, but some big number calculations can suffer due the the precision, just as rubikWizrad pointed out using powers (the rounding errors).

Answer 16

i have the solution for the intermediate challenge, but i lost the code for it. I don't understand why that line of code(the label) prevented the multiplication and division of numbers. To me,it was just an unecessary addition that i removed last to find the solution. Is there an explanation for it?

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Answer 17

keg504,

There were no unnecessary lines in this challenge sample code - there were some deliberate errors but no whole lines that should be removed.

Because it was so badly written with all the GoTo statements out of order and no comments is is hard to decipher and easily can lead to confusion or making errors editing the code, hence the second part of the challenge to rewrite in a much better way so the code does the same thing but is much easier to understand and follow.

PS to all

New advanced challenge added at top of thread.

Answer 18

No, most languages have a maximum number, usually it is at least 10^100, 1 with 100 zeros after it - this is a Google (company named after it).

Actually 10^100 is called a googol (different spelling) and a googolplex is 10^googol (which is quite a large number!!!)

Answer 19

Challenge

Estimate the number of cubic centimeters in the observable universe.  Speed of light is 300,000,000 meter/sec, age of Universe is about 13,000,000,000 years, 100 cm in a meter and volume is distance*distance*distance (cubed).

So are we looking to calculate the volume of the sphere of light from the Big Bang, in which case the volume would be (4/3)*pi*r^3 ?

Answer 20

i have the solution to the intermediate challenge = vzg671. I'm not sure if thats exactly what you wanted, but i think that's what the program is supposed to do. as for the quoted challenge, the volume of the universe is 7.79295685x10^78(assuming the universe expanded equally in all directions).

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Answer 21

keg504,

For the intermediate challenge you have corrected all the errors and ordered the code well.  Can you write it with no GoTo statements.  GoTo's are generally considered bad programming practice because the can lead to unreadable spaghetti code like the challenge sample, although the odd GoTo can be very useful.

Your answer for the size of the observable universe looks about right - I got 7.8*10^84 cm^3, perhaps the difference is cm^3 rather than m^3.  They are still much smaller than a Googol (now spelt right), but bigger than SmallBasic can cope with.  The actual universe may actually be infinite or at least very much bigger than anything we can possibly observe with the speed of light limit.

The correct formula is that of a sphere as you used, but given other approximations or assumptions (age of the universe, speed of light has always been constant, even that a sphere is the correct shape to use for Universe scales where General Relativity or something else may distort geometry and others) a cube would be reasonable, the difference only being a factor of about 2 (6/pi).  The important number is the number of zeros (84 give or take) not the value 7.8.

Answer 22

I removed all the goto statements changed the loop to while with the following lines:

TextWindow.WriteLine("Would you like to end the program?[yes/no]")

end = TextWindow.Read()

While end = no

(main program)

EndWhile

Is there any way to make this code more efficient, as in it keeps asking you if you want to end?

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Answer 23

keg504,

Can you post a publish code for the full program please, sine the segment above shouldn't keep repeating the question sine it is outside the main while loop.

Answer 24

keg504,

Can you post a publish code for the full program please, sine the segment above shouldn't keep repeating the question sine it is outside the main while loop.

TextWindow.WriteLine("Would you like to end the program?[yes/no]: ")

end = TextWindow.Read()

while end = "no"

TextWindow.PauseIfVisible()

TextWindow.Clear()

TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter a number")

num1 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()

TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter another number")

num2 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()

getOperation:

TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter an operation (+,-,*,/)")

operation = Textwindow.Read()

If operation = "+" Then

  result = num1 + num2

 ElseIf operation = "-" Then

  result = num1 - num2

ElseIf operation = "/" Then

  result = num1 / num2

ElseIf operation = "*" Then

  result = num1 * num2

Else

  Program.End()

EndIf

TextWindow.WriteLine(num1 + operation + num2 + "=" + result)

EndWhile

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Answer 25

The TextWindow.PauseIfVisible() is pausing the window, delete this - to ask the question after every sum, try the following:

end = "no"
while end = "no"
  'TextWindow.PauseIfVisible()
  TextWindow.Clear()
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter a number")
  num1 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter another number")
  num2 = TextWindow.ReadNumber()
  getOperation:
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter an operation (+,-,*,/)")
  operation = Textwindow.Read()
  If operation = "+" Then
    result = num1 + num2
  ElseIf operation = "-" Then
    result = num1 - num2
  ElseIf operation = "/" Then
    result = num1 / num2
  ElseIf operation = "*" Then
    result = num1 * num2
  Else
    Program.End()
  EndIf
  TextWindow.WriteLine(num1 + operation + num2 + "=" + result)
  TextWindow.WriteLine("Would you like to end the program?[yes/no]: ")
  end = TextWindow.Read()
EndWhile

Answer 26

Thanks, it worked like a charm

---

“Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” – Joseph Campbell

Edit: would it be possible to use a for loop in this case and are there any other loops than the goto, the for and the while?

Answer 27

My entry in the December Advanced Challenge 2.   It ran for 2831 seconds on my Win 7 32 bit quad core i5 PC and found 48 solutions.  I would be most interested in any tips to improve the speed.

start = Clock.Hour * 3600 + Clock.Minute * 60 + Clock.Second
For x = 1 To 1050
  For y = 1 To 1050
    For z = 1 To 1050
      mult = x*y*z
      calc = 1000 + x + y + z
      If calc = mult Then
        Count = Count + 1
        TextWindow.WriteLine((" x = ") + x + "   " + ("y = ") + y + "   " + (" z = ") + z)
      EndIf
    EndFor
  EndFor
EndFor
end = Clock.Hour * 3600 + Clock.Minute * 60 + Clock.Second
elapsed = end - start
TextWindow.WriteLine("Found " + Count + " occurances in " + elapsed  + " Seconds")

Bert 

Answer 28

Congratulations, you have the right answer!

There are many things you can do to improve the performance, perhaps by a factor of about 100000 by careful thought.

Things to consider are:

1] For any given x and y we can calculate z and then check if it is an integer. 'If (z = Math.Floor(z)) Then'

2] Use symmetry (we can exchange any of x,y,z and the problem is the same) So if we find x,y,z, then y,x,z is also a solution.  So we only need to check for y >= x and when we find a solution x,y,z then y,x,z is also a solution.  If x=y has a solution, then there is not a second distinct solution.

3] We can prove that z decreases as x or y increase and conversely z increases as x or y decrease

4] If we find a value for z using [1] that is less than 1 then we can stop checking the current y using [3]

5] We can prove using [3] what the largest and second largest values can possibly be so we can skip all values for x or y that lie between these two.

6] We can prove that x=y=1 cannot have a solution for z

Start by rewriting the equation z = ... This is the biggest key.  Then try putting in a few values by hand such as x=y=1, x=1 & y=2, x=1 & y=3, x=2 & y=2 etc.  Try to prove some of these.

Answer 29

Hi litdev

I´ve posted  yesterday my BWN338 program.

Didn´t you received it ?

Regards,

 

---

carlosfmur

Answer 30

carlosfmur,

Just seen it now - very festive - Merry Christmas.

Answer 31

Many thanks, litdev

---

carlosfmur

Answer 32

NVD600 -0  Christmas tree and other festive shape .

A song is added.

Answer 33

Nice, really...very nice

---

carlosfmur - Buenos Aires

Answer 34

Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but I have an idea for a "hard" challenge for Jan 2012.

Any entrants to the hard challenge should attempt to create something like a basic compression method, and have a threshold for size. E.g. it must make the file a minimum of 10% smaller.

But I don't know, maybe it's too hard?
I think a rule would have to be "No Extensions", so people can't just use the compression method in Data extension. 

There should also be sub-challenges; how fast can you make it? How high can you make the compression ratio? How small can you make the executable? Et cetera.

Answer 35

This is the right place - thanks for the suggestion.

Can you also provide a sample of reasonable size text (say ~0.1MB) file (uploaded somewhere to compress).  Since at one extreme a very large file just filled with 0s can be compressed very easily and a similar large file filled with random numbers cannot be compressed smaller than the original (if you include the compression algorithm in the size of the compressed file). 

If you have other challenge ideas including basic ones, then compile them together and post them as next month's challenge towards the end of the year and I will make it the sticky for Jan 2012.

Answer 36

Possibly some code, or WPF XAML?

How about using this sample of XAML from an application I was making that reads specifications (hence the names):

            <TabItem Header="Processor" Name="tabItem1" IsSelected="False" IsEnabled="True" Background="{x:Null}">
                <Grid>
                    <Label Content="Name" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="6,6,0,0" Name="label1" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="48" />
                    <Rectangle HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="60,10,0,212" Name="rectangle1" Stroke="Black" Width="403" Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" Margin="60,6,26,0" Name="processorNameLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="Manufacturer" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="6,36,0,0" Name="label3" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,40,0,182" Name="rectangle2" Stroke="Black" Width="48" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" Margin="90,36,331,0" Name="processorManufacturerLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="Core #" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="144,36,0,0" Name="label2" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="195,40,0,182" Name="rectangle3" Stroke="Black" Width="29" />
                    <Label Content="0" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="196,36,0,0" Name="processorCoreNumberLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="Thread #" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="231,36,0,0" Name="label4" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="292,40,0,182" Name="rectangle4" Stroke="Black" Width="29" />
                    <Label Content="0" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="292,36,0,0" Name="processorThreadNumberLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="IHT" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="327,36,0,0" Name="label5" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="361,40,0,0" Name="rectangle5" Stroke="Black" Width="38" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="No" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="361,36,0,0" Name="processorHasHyperthreadingLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="Revision" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="29,65,0,0" Name="label6" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,69,0,153" Name="rectangle6" Stroke="Black" Width="48" />
                    <Label Content="U/A" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,66,0,0" Name="processorRevisionLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="154,65,0,0" Name="label7" VerticalAlignment="Top" Content="Type" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="196,69,0,153" Name="rectangle7" Stroke="Black" Width="51" />
                    <Label Content="U/A" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="196,66,0,0" Name="processorBitLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="51" />
                    <Label Content="Clock Speed" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="8,130,0,0" Name="label8" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,134,0,88" Name="rectangle8" Stroke="Black" Width="74" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,130,0,0" Name="processorClockSpeedLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="74" />
                    <Label Content="Base Clock" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="16,155,0,0" Name="label9" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" Margin="90,159,306,63" Name="rectangle9" Stroke="Black" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,155,0,0" Name="processorBaseClockLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="74" />
                    <Label Content="Multiplier" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="22,179,0,0" Name="label10" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,183,0,39" Name="rectangle10" Stroke="Black" Width="74" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="90,179,0,0" Name="processorMultiplierLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="74" />
                    <Label Content="L2 Cache" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="179,130,0,0" Name="label11" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="243,134,0,88" Name="rectangle11" Stroke="Black" Width="65" />
                    <Label Content="0 KB" Height="28" Margin="243,130,161,0" Name="processorL2CacheLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="L3 Cache" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="180,155,0,0" Name="label12" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="243,159,0,63" Name="rectangle12" Stroke="Black" Width="65" />
                    <Label Content="0 KB" Height="28" Margin="244,155,161,0" Name="processorL3CacheLabel" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Label Content="Voltage" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="257,64,0,0" Name="label21" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                    <Rectangle Fill="#FFE2E2E2" Height="20" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="314,69,0,153" Name="rectangle21" Stroke="Black" Width="51" />
                    <Label Content="null" Height="28" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="315,66,0,0" Name="processorVoltage" VerticalAlignment="Top" />
                </Grid>

According to Windows, that's 5.96KB.

.TXT Download here

Answer 37

Good example for compression.  It would be a tough challenge, but perhaps we can add some simpler challenges that involve some of the elements required to solve this like: find repeating texts, count repeating texts, parse a text file etc and perhaps find some web sites on compression to help.  Have a think on it.

Answer 38

Oh yes litdev

Add some simpler challenges, please.

Many of us are beginners. Isn´t Small Basic for beginners?.

Welcome and thanks people with high level. I´m learning each day with them. They help me, always.

But, how many of member´s forum would follow posts/ threads

Thanks again and regards

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carlosfmur - Buenos Aires

Answer 39

Good example for compression.  It would be a tough challenge, but perhaps we can add some simpler challenges that involve some of the elements required to solve this like: find repeating texts, count repeating texts, parse a text file etc and perhaps find some web sites on compression to help.  Have a think on it.

A simpler challenge, using the above XAML, could be to locate and write down all the keywords, and perhaps the total number of them? For example:

"<Label> Occurs __ Times"

Answer 40

Hello litdev, perhaps you can consider the following

This may be a simple challenge to develop. It was solve with MS Excel.

A company manufactures two types of tiles. Type A has the form of a

trapezium of bases to 15 cm and 5 cm and its height is 10 cm

Type B has the shape of parallelogram whose bases measure 14 cm and height 8 cm

Determine the total cost of labor which is calculated by the square centimetres of tiles produced. In the month of January were 2,500 tile type A at a cost of $5.00 per square centimeter and 3,500 tile type B at a cost of $2,00 per square centimeter.

In February production increases by 50% over January and maintained  costs per unit.

In short we need

-Find the area of the trapezium and the parallelogram to calculate the area of each of the tiles.

Calculate the monthly cost of labour for the months of January and February for each type of tile

Calculate the total monthly cost of labour for the months of January and February.

Thank you very much for your attention

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carlosfmur - Buenos Aires

Answer 41

Some possible solutions to intermediate and harder challenges: LTP633, WJB650, SVK916.

Answer 42

*jaw drops!*

 

I ventured back into some c++ (was trying to learn it before) and entered in Kiwi Bert's solution...

The difference from sb to c++?  The program ran in about 5 seconds!  I'd heard that speed was a big difference between some languages, but I've never seen such an example of it.

Just thought I'd share that :)

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Allen

Answer 43

Allen,

Inspired by you, I also rewrote my entry in the challange in C++.   I have dabbled with C++ over time with some limited success, but I feel I would need another 100 years to come half-way to mastering it.  When I first ran it it ran for 20 odd seconds but found over 17000 false positives.  I looked at the code and could not see where I had gone wrong, it looked like the exact equivilent of the SB code.  I had defined x, y, and z as int and mult and calc as double. I figured that x, y, and z, never got bigger than 1050, but , because I could not think of anything else I changed them to double, recompiled it  and it ran correctly in about the same time you achieved.

Thank you for the thought.

Regards

Bert

Answer 44

Although some SmallBasic code is very slow compared to something like C++, a lot of performance issues can be overcome with good coding - this challenge could be solved in SB in about 25 ms (~200 times faster than C++ doing it the long way) - very fast languages can actually result in very inefficient code because we don't see the inefficiencies immediately.

So the challenge was not so much about highlighting the speed of SB, as suggesting that how we define algorithms and the thought required before coding something is often more important, it was an advanced challenge.

Answer 45

I got it down to 2 seconds and 8 solutions with this code, but i'm still trying to figure out how to apply the part about making the equation into a 'z = ...' form.   edit:  or the part about using math.floor().

xLim = 3000

start = Clock.Hour * 3600 + Clock.Minute * 60 + Clock.Second
For x = 1 To xLim
  For y = x To xLim
    For z = y To 1050
      mult = x*y*z
      calc = 1000 + x + y + z
      If calc = mult Then
        Count = Count + 1
        TextWindow.WriteLine((" x = ") + x + "   " + ("y = ") + y + "   " + (" z = ") + z)
        xLim = z
      EndIf
    EndFor
  EndFor
EndFor
end = Clock.Hour * 3600 + Clock.Minute * 60 + Clock.Second
elapsed = end - start
TextWindow.WriteLine("Found " + Count + " occurances in " + elapsed  + " Seconds")

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Allen

Answer 46

1000 + x + y + z = x*y*z

1000 + x + y = z*(x*y - 1)

z = (1000 + x + y) / (x*y - 1)

Here we can see that x=y=1 has no solution for z.

A full solution using this was posted as SVK916.

Answer 47

First of all you don't need "largenumber = 0"

Second of all you don't need to clear the Textwindow every time just make it TextWindow.Writeline