Questions tagged [math]
The challenge involves mathematics in some central way. Also consider using more specific tags, listed in the tag wiki info.
1,881 questions
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Draw the Gauss Star (Heptadecagram)
Background
In 1796, 18-year-old Carl Friedrich Gauss proved that a regular heptadecagon can be constructed with compass and straightedge — the first such discovery in over 2,000 years. The stonemason ...
- 401
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Golf a function that grows faster then the Strong Array Notation [closed]
I recently saw this post, and apparently, the last well-defined stage of the Strong Array Notation, the Dropping Array Notation, grows faster than D^5(k), which lead me to creating this post. Your ...
12
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Fast sampling of special binary strings
We are going to define a simple little language. A word in this language is a binary string where the longest run of consecutive \$0\$s, is shorter than every (maximal) run of \$1\$s. So for example:
\...
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Golf a number bigger than all other answers [duplicate]
You have to code in python, and the number generated by your code must be bigger than all other current submissions. You need to make your code as small as possible, it has to terminate but you can ...
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4
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Find a primitive polynomial
Objective
Given a prime number \$p\$ and an integer \$n \geq 2\$, find a degree-\$n\$ primitive polynomial modulo \$p\$.
Mathematical explanation
When we perform "modular arithmetic" over ...
- 7,381
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Polynomial Basis Conversion
The most common way to represent a polynomial is writing it as a linear combination of monomials, i.e., powers of the variable. For example, the polynomial \$p(x) = x^3 + 2x^2 + x + 1\$ is a linear ...
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Cancel and minimize game
Here is a game: Start with the set {1,2,3,...,n} of natural numbers. At any turn of the game, you may pick two numbers from this set, a and b, then replace them with their product a*b. Since it is a ...
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Divide 1 by a sum/difference of square roots
Divide 1 by a sum/difference of square roots
Input: An expression that is a sum/difference of square roots of positive integers. You can assme it will not equal 0.
The general form is \$\pm\sqrt{a_1}\...
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Compute the NFL passer rating
Each quarterback in the NFL is given a passer rating at the end of the game, which measures how good their forward passes were. It is not strictly a basic arithmetic formula, and is calculated as ...
- 4,749
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Recursive cumulative sum [duplicate]
Challenge:
Given inputs \$i\$ and \$n\$, calculate \$R_i(n)\$ where:
$$R_0(n)=n \\
R_i(n)=\sum_{j=0}^nR_{i-1}(j)$$
Note that \$R_1\$ is triangular function, and \$R_2\$ is tetrahedral function.
This ...
- 5,105
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votes
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answer
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Implement 2ˣ using the polynomial system
Your job is to implement \$2^x\$ using polynomials, such that in a way that for all integers \$x\$ and \$y\$,
$$\exists(v_0,v_1,\dots)[P_1(x,y,v_0,v_1,v_2,\cdots) = 0 \land P_2(x,y,v_0,v_1,v_2,\cdots)=...
- 5,105
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votes
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Decompose a palindromic polynomial
A palindromic polynomial is a polynomial whose list of coefficients is a palindrome. For example, the polynomial \$p(x) = x^4 + 2x^3 + 3x^2 + 2x + 1\$ is palindromic because its coefficients are \$[1, ...
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Float vs Decimal
You will be given a decimal number n in the form of a string. You must determine if that number, when stored in standard number type ...
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Solve the crossed ladders problem
I'm surprised we don't have the crossed ladders problem as a task here yet.
Two ladders of lengths a and b lie oppositely across an alley, as shown in the figure. The ladders cross at a height of h ...
- 4,749
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IMO 2025: Divisor sums that go forever
Problem 4 of the 2025 International Mathematical Olympiad asked (paraphrased):
Let \$f(n)\$ be the sum of the largest three proper divisors of \$n\$,
that is divisors excluding \$n\$ itself. For ...
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