Programming Puzzle: Bamboo Trimming
This continuous-assessment exercise consists of a small applied project with algorithmic and programming components, including a real-time leaderboard of the competition.
You will be working on a real, challenging research problem, so the intention is as much on the process of producing solutions to algorithmic problems, as on the actual deliverable.
The Bamboo Trimming Problem
To offset the long hours of sitting in classes, you are a passionate gardener, and your pride and joy is your little forest of exotic bamboos. However, being one of the fastest- growing plants on earth, the bamboo plot requires constant attention. In an attempt to keep the effort manageable, you decide to cut down exactly one of your the bamboo plants each day, and you cut it right back to the roots.
Since your bamboos have vastly different growth rates, some of them need more frequent cutting than others. You set out to find a periodic schedule of which bamboo to cut each day, so as to minimize the maximal height of your garden.