Questions tagged [kolmogorov-complexity]
Kolmogorov complexity, informally, is the amount of code it takes to describe or produce a constant object, such as a string or image. When posting a challenge in this category, please make sure it adds something new to existing challenges.
607
questions
47
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56answers
6k views
There are known knowns
Former US Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, famously popularized the phrase "known knowns." Here we're going to distill his remarks into a four-line stanza.
Specifically, output this text:
<...
19
votes
9answers
2k views
How many chapters do I have?
The Bible is one of the most influential books ever written, and commonly cited as the best selling book of all time. It was written by approximately 40 different authors over hundreds of years before ...
20
votes
22answers
2k views
Build a checkerboard
For this challenge you will print the coordinates and color of each piece at the start of a game of checkers.
Enter the x and y (comma seperated) for every square (indexed 0-7) on a checkerboard, ...
23
votes
8answers
1k views
Casciitum Scribe
Introduction
Cacti come in various different sizes, shapes and colors. However, the most iconic cactus and must-have in every Western has to be the saguaro. Important features are its size and arms, ...
30
votes
14answers
3k views
Generate TeX to typeset Sierpinski Triangle Fractal
Challenge
Write code that outputs TeX (LaTeX) math-equation code (given below) that will typeset Sierpinski Triangle Fractal of 5 levels. Shortest code wins.
Details
TeX (and friends like LaTeX, ...
18
votes
23answers
2k views
40
votes
23answers
3k views
Output the Trinity Hall Prime
Based on this Math.SE question; number copied from this answer. Number originally from a Numberphile video, of course.
Your task is to output the following 1350-digit prime number:
...
69
votes
106answers
8k views
Make an alphabet searchlight!
Inspired by a bug in a solution to this challenge, your challenge is to produce this exact text:
...
4
votes
9answers
503 views
There's no place like home
I recently watched The Wizard Of Oz and thought that when Dorothy taps her shoes together three times, it would be easier if she used a program to do it. So let's help her.
Task
Output slippers ...
38
votes
28answers
10k views
When do I get my sandwich?
Given one of the following inputs: Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki
Oven Roasted Chicken
Turkey Breast
Italian BMT
Tuna
Black Forest Ham
Meatball Marinara output a number from 1-7 (or 0-6) representing ...
26
votes
34answers
3k views
Euro coins and notes
As the majority of nations using the Euro have the , as the decimal separator, you must use it also.
The task is to output all the values of the Euro coins and ...
7
votes
4answers
504 views
1326 starting hold'em combos
The goal is to get all combinations of hold'em starting hands (every two card combination) in the shortest amount of code.
A hold'em hand is two distinct cards dealt from a standard deck of 52 cards, ...
1
vote
1answer
134 views
29
votes
28answers
3k views
13
votes
18answers
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Walkers Join! - Alan Walker's logo
You might know Alan Walker from his ever popular song Faded. Now his "followers" are called Walkers and they have a logo, here is a simplified version:
...
-7
votes
19answers
369 views
Code Golf - Covfefe on tap
As we all know, negative press covfefe has been conspiring to bring down the American president for some months now.
There's also, definitely, an algorithm in play in that word. Covfe is a refreshing ...
14
votes
5answers
2k views
Fallout Terminal Hacking
Anyone here a die-hard Bethesda fan? Maybe you prefer Obsidian Entertainment? Well, if you're either of those things than the following picture should be relatively familiar to you.
I've taken the ...
5
votes
6answers
268 views
Champernowne up to me [duplicate]
Inspired by this question.
Champernowne's constant is an infinite decimal number that consists of "0." followed by all natural numbers concatenated together. It begins like so: ...
47
votes
50answers
13k views
Draw the Swiss Flag
Task: Output the Swiss flag.
Happy Swiss National Day / Schweizer Bundesfeiertag / Fête nationale suisse / Festa nazionale svizzera / Fiasta naziunala svizra!
Details:
The flag consists of a white ...
15
votes
12answers
1k views
A-Z in 10's, you see?
As a follow up to my previous challenge Count to 20 with Words!, we will once again be using the word list from that challenge to perform another task. This time, you will be exclusively using:
https:/...
14
votes
22answers
738 views
Output Rhombus Sequence without Nested Loops [duplicate]
The following is the rhombus sequence.
1
121
12321
1234321
123454321
12345654321
1234567654321
123456787654321
12345678987654321
Your task is to output this, ...
-2
votes
10answers
627 views
Map of India - minimum number of bytes
Your challenge is to make a program(less number of bytes than what the below program takes) that should print the map of India with any special character of choice.
TIO Link
...
24
votes
9answers
2k views
8
votes
3answers
577 views
Secret Message Part 1, Elements
You and your friend want to send each other secret messages. However, because you are conspiracy theorists and think that the government has a quantum computer that can crack any standard encryption. ...
49
votes
13answers
7k views
Extreme Fibonacci
There have been a billion iterations of Fibonacci challenges on this website, so lets spice things up with a Fibonacci challenge of a billion iterations!
Your challenge is to output the first 1000 ...
39
votes
15answers
4k views
Count to 20 with Words!
Using the following length-separated lists of words:
https://github.com/Magic Octopus Urn/wordListsByLength
Print 1 word from each list of length n from 1 all the ...
25
votes
22answers
5k views
The answer to life, the universe, and ASCII-art
Simple challenge: try to output the following text in as few bytes as you can:
...
6
votes
7answers
251 views
Duplicate the KOOS Jr. Scoring interval algorithm
Inspired from a real problem; we were looking at this table and said "Hey, now that's a good codegolf problem."
The KOOS Jr. scores converts from a raw number to a percentile score given this table:
...
29
votes
14answers
3k views
Put together a Senate majority
There are one hundred members of the United States Senate. Assuming that nobody filibusters and that the Vice President isn't cooperating, at least fifty-one members are necessary to pass a bill. But ...
11
votes
5answers
617 views
Computers will never taste a refreshing cookie
Inspired by github.com/JackToaster/Reassuring-Parable-Generator, in turn inspired by xkcd.com/1263. The possible words are derived from the reassuring.cfg of that repository.
Having a look at the ...
19
votes
27answers
2k views
Not too hard to code this right?
You have to write a program or a function in any language that outputs this pattern:
...
-3
votes
8answers
592 views
“Hello, World”, Even before it runs
Warning: This challenge is only valid for languages with a compiler.
Make a program (which is perfectly valid code) that outputs Hello, World, even before runtime.
...
80
votes
77answers
15k views
It was just a bug
Inspired by the bugged output in @Carcigenicate's Clojure answer for the Print this diamond challenge.
Print this exact text:
...
20
votes
14answers
2k views
Spanish ID card control character calculator
This is a very very simple algorithm, that I am sure can be solved in many many different languages. In Spain ID cards (known as DNI) consist of 8 numbers and a control character. The control ...
20
votes
37answers
3k views
Print the Stack Exchange favicon
Challenge
Print or return the Stack Exchange favicon, as provided below:
...
13
votes
22answers
5k views
ASCII Rubik's Cube
Inspired by this and the following chat:
Your task is to output the following:
_ _ _
/_/_/_/\
/_/_/_/\/\
/_/_/_/\/\/\
\_\_\_\/\/\/
\_\_\_\/\/
\_\_\_\/
...
30
votes
30answers
4k views
ASCII art for torrent UI
Problem
Recreate the UI from a torrent program
Given no input, output the following:
...
18
votes
29answers
2k views
Block of digits
Output/print this block of text:
1234567890
2468013579
3691470258
4815926037
5049382716
6172839405
7306295184
8520741963
9753108642
0987654321
Acceptable formats ...
31
votes
24answers
3k views
Draw HyperNeutrino's benzene hegaxon icon in ASCII
In celebration of HyperNeutrino getting back his account and rep, following Mr. Xcoder.
Apologies for rotating the picture for drawability.
Print or output this ASCII art exactly. You may have ...
3
votes
12answers
926 views
HyperNeutrino is back!
Today, @HyperNeutrino succeeded merging his two accounts, and finally got the reputation he lost back. Now, it's time to celebrate! Your task is to output this exact text:
/\
...
23
votes
33answers
11k views
Print the Russian Cyrillic alphabet [duplicate]
Apparently, we really like printing the alphabet in different languages.
How about the Russian Cyrillic alphabet?
Print/output/return this exact text (trailing whitespace is permitted)
...
17
votes
51answers
4k views
Greeting The User
Create a program which when run displays the text below:
)-*-*-*^_^*-*-*-(
| Welcome User! |
)-*-*-*^_^*-*-*-(
Use any functions or language to answer this, have ...
37
votes
45answers
5k views
A crowd of blank stares
Problem
Given no input write a program or a function that outputs or returns the following string:
...
67
votes
27answers
19k views
“As a child, I was told Spiders felt no emotion.”
The challenge: output this exact ASCII art of a spiderweb in a window:
...
16
votes
17answers
2k views
Mayweather vs McGregor: Prepare the cash prize
Introduction
On the 26th of August, 2017, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will face up to Conor McGregor in a boxing match.
Both participants will receive the phenomenal amount of 100 million dollars!
...
3
votes
5answers
352 views
Alphabet Aerobics
Challenge
Given a single letter (a-z) as input, output the 2 lines of Blackalicious' Alphabet Aerobics that correspond to that letter (ignoring the intro & outro).
Rules
You may take input by ...
41
votes
15answers
6k views
Let's draw Mona Lisa
In 2014, demoscener Jakub 'Ilmenit' Debski released a 250-byte(1) procedural graphics demo for the Atari XL called Mona. It's drawing the following picture(2):
Your task is to generate the exact same ...
93
votes
48answers
13k views
In Honor of Adam West
Adam West passed away, and I'd like to honor his memory here on PPCG, though I doubt he knew of our existence. While there are many, many different things that this man is known for, none are more ...
-6
votes
2answers
263 views
Output the Wikipedia article for Kolmogorov Complexity
Your job is to output the html of the current version (at the time of this writing) of the Wikipedia page for Kolmogorov complexity: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kolmogorov_complexity&...
12
votes
8answers
735 views
Find the Mr of a Given Compound!
Challenge
Given the formula of a chemical, output the Mr of the compound.
Equation
Each element in the compound is followed by a number that denotes the number of said atom in the compound. If ...
