Challenges for the mathematically challenged?

[Valentin Albillo]

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Hi, Siegfried,

(12-17-2022 06:43 PM)Siegfried Wrote:  My fondness for HP calculators started in the mid-80's when I was allowed to use my father's HP15C [...] I have had a look at Valentin Albillo's challenges but found that at least those I looked at require a level of mathematical understanding that far exceeds what I learned in high school (minus what I forgot since) and I drop out when a solution requires a Taylor series or some other mathematical wizardry.

Thanks for your interest in my challenges and for having had a look at some of them, but I think that you didn't look far enough.

Lest people reading your post might get the utterly wrong idea that my challenges are far too complicated and/or require superior math abilities or "math wizardry", let me assure everyone that's far from being the general case.

Some of my challenges do indeed requiere some math knowledge, such as my recent still-running SRC #012 - Then and Now six-pronged thread (three parts posted so far: Probability, Root, Sum) but there are dozens that do not require any complex math abilities, just the basics or even no math at all, e.g. when dealing with the functionality of HP calculators or RPN stack-handling techniques.

Also, my challenges have the unique advantage that they are specific for HP vintage calculators (featuring many for your HP-15C) and all of them include my original solutions in genuine RPN code for the specific machines, plus state-of-the-art solutions posted by dozens of forum member, plus very extensive comments. That you won't find anywhere else, not Project Euler, not anywhere.

All of my challenges are described and can be downloaded from my site, section HP Calculator Challenges, which is further subdivided in subsections Short & Sweet Math Challenges, The Regular Challenges and Semi-Regular Columns. The ones that would probably fit best with what you desire are mostly located in The Regular Challenges subsection, for instance:

HP Challenge VA101 - A Little HP-15C Challenge
HP Challenge VA102 - A little classical RPN challenge
HP Challenge VA104 - Little HP-15C challenge for the weekend
HP Challenge VA105 - Two little RPN challenges (11C 15C)
HP Challenge VA106 - Matrix Reloaded (HP-15C)
HP Challenge VA107 - Matrix Convolutions (HP-15C)
HP Challenge VA108 - Matrix Trilogy (HP-15C)
HP Challenge VA109 - Quiz Evaluating polynomials (HP-15C)
HP Challenge VA110 - HP-15C Arguably Useful Mini-Challenge
HP Challenge VA111 - HP-15C Arguably Useful MC Solutions Comments
HP Challenge VA112 - Really really small HP-15C Mini-Challenge
HP Challenge VA113 - A little HP-15C Quiz for the Weekend
HP Challenge VA118 - A New Small HP-15C Challenge
HP Challenge VA119 - A Very Didactic Little Quiz
HP Challenge VA120 - A Very Didactic Little Quiz Some Comments
HP Challenge VA121 - HP-15C Mini-Challenge RSUM CSUM
HP Challenge VA122 - New HP-15C mini-challenge
HP Challenge VA125 - HP-15C Mini-Challenge Speeding it up
HP Challenge VA126 - HP-15C Mini-Challenge Impossibly Short
etc., etc.

Please have a look at the above mini-challenges and see if that's what you want. As I said, you won't find such challenges specifically designed for your HP-15C, with plenty of highly-optimized HP-15C RPN solutions and relevant comments anywhere else, at all.

Regards.
V.