The hottest Problem Solving Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Education Topics

Boomerang tilings

Infinitely More • 15 implied HN points • 25 Jun 25
🔬 Science Problem Solving
  1. Boomerangs are special shapes called nonconvex quadrilaterals. They can be used to explore interesting questions about tiling.
  2. The main question is whether a convex polygon can be tiled completely using just a few boomerangs. This is a challenging mathematical problem.
  3. Finding a solution to this problem requires careful thought and may not be easy. Just because one attempt fails, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be done at all.

Problem-Solver's Paradox

HackBoyFly • 2 HN points • 16 Jul 24
💼 Business Problem Solving
  1. Entrepreneurs and innovators can get stuck in a cycle of just finding problems, instead of solving them
  2. Sometimes the act of searching for the perfect problem becomes the main issue
  3. Considering alternative approaches like letting problems come to you or engaging with communities can lead to more effective problem-solving

Dandelions

Sunday Letters • 39 implied HN points • 14 May 23
📖 Philosophy Problem Solving
  1. Don't get too caught up in your goals. Sometimes, focusing too much on a single goal can lead to missing out on other enjoyable aspects or better solutions.
  2. Like trying to fight dandelions in a lawn, we can get fixated on solving problems the wrong way. It's important to recognize when a goal isn't worth the struggle.
  3. Regularly step back and assess if you're on the right path. Taking a moment to rethink can often reveal simpler and more effective options.

More I learn, the more I suck 😫— Dunning-Kruger Effect

10x your mind • 59 implied HN points • 04 Aug 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. The Dunning-Kruger effect highlights the tendency to overestimate or underestimate expertise based on awareness.
  2. Learning a new skill involves phases: feeling great at the beginning, struggling in the middle, then finding enjoyment and expertise in the end.
  3. Recognizing the 'I suck' phase as a crucial period of progress can help avoid underestimating your growth potential.

[Solution]Problem 50:Rotting Oranges[Microsoft]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 04 Aug 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The problem of rotting oranges involves graph theory and BFS algorithms, and it can be challenging due to multiple oranges rotting simultaneously.
  2. The goal is to find the minimum number of minutes required for all fresh oranges to rot. If impossible, return -1.
  3. Understanding the problem thoroughly and having a structured approach to solving it is essential in coding interviews.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

How to Solve Leetcode Brain Teasers [Technique Tusdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 09 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Brain teasers in interviews may seem simple but can be tricky to solve because of their deceptive simplicity.
  2. When stuck on a problem, look for something familiar to latch onto and analyze it in depth to gain clarity on possible solutions.
  3. Talking out loud about the problem can help make connections, leading to better problem-solving and understanding.

Acknowledge and Ignore

Polymathic Being • 87 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. Acknowledging and ignoring can be a powerful tactic when dealing with poor leaders.
  2. Timely decision-making in leadership requires adaptability and making smart choices under pressure.
  3. Some leaders may prefer being acknowledged but then ignored, leading to better outcomes in certain situations.

The Most Common Data Science Interview Mistake

inexactscience • 39 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. One big mistake in data science interviews is jumping to solutions too quickly. It's important to first understand the problem before trying to solve it.
  2. Asking questions during the interview can show your insight and help you gather essential information. It helps to clarify the business context and what needs to be addressed.
  3. Finding a balance is key. You want to ask enough questions to understand the issue without getting stuck in overthinking. A good candidate knows when to seek clarification and when to respond directly.

Problem 62: Arrange Robots by Model[Brilliant]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 27 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The post discusses a puzzle about arranging robots by model, focusing on logic and problem-solving skills without coding.
  2. The author encourages readers to fill out surveys, engage with the content, and consider a premium subscription for more benefits.
  3. There is a special request for readers to support the newsletter's visibility by recommending it on Substack, showcasing community engagement.

How to (selfishly) make great educational content | #3

The Pole • 39 implied HN points • 10 Jan 23
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. Great educational content should be clear, tailored to the consumer's needs, and marketed appropriately.
  2. Optimizing educational content creation involves enjoying the process, systematizing it, and finding the right market.
  3. When creating educational content, consider if it's for personal utility or the audience, and whether it aims to solve a problem or provide understanding.

[Solution]Problem 21: Rotate List by k elements[Facebook/Meta]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 20 Jan 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. When trying to solve a problem involving rotating a list by k elements, consider the pattern finding technique to optimize the solution.
  2. Understanding the periodic nature of the problem can help reduce the number of operations needed, especially with large values of n and k.
  3. A key insight for rotating a list by k elements is to split the list into sublists based on the pivot (k) and manipulate these sublists to achieve the desired rotation without creating new copies.

What to do.

Douglass’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Problem Solving
  1. Temperatures are rising due to fossil fuel burning, leading to interconnected problems like soil, food, and poverty.
  2. Survival strategy involves a complex Gardenworld approach for localized food and security, combined with big tech for management.
  3. Urgency is stressed in understanding and addressing societal collapses, suggested readings like Tainter and Toynbee provide deeper insights.

Are you too tired to make the right decisions? [Growth Needle™]

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
💼 Business Problem Solving
  1. Your mental state is really important when making decisions. If you're stressed or tired, it's harder to think clearly and make good choices.
  2. Finding 'Domino Decisions' can help you focus on what actions will make the biggest impact. It's about identifying the small steps that lead to bigger changes.
  3. To solve problems effectively, it's essential to find the root causes. Just treating symptoms won't fix issues in the long run.

Steelman

Polymathic Being • 70 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. Being a Steelman means strengthening your arguments and understanding others' perspectives.
  2. Steelman is the superhero antidote to Strawman, who misrepresents arguments.
  3. Steelman approach brings benefits like improved dialogue, deeper learning, and avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

[Solution]Problem 57:Longest Repeating Character with Replacement[Google]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 23 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The problem involves finding the longest substring with the same character after changing up to k characters. It can be seen as Leetcode problem 424.
  2. The examples provided illustrate the concept, showing how replacing characters can change the length of the longest repeating substring.
  3. Constraints like string length and character types are important to consider when solving the problem.

[Solution]Problem 79: Checking for a value[Facebook/Meta]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The post discusses a coding problem involving mathematical or bit operations with 32-bit integers for conditional value return.
  2. The solution to the problem is highlighted as being deceptively simple in terms of code but with a significant impact, serving as an introduction to a common technique in computational problem-solving.
  3. The problem requires returning one of the integers based on the value of a third integer, and only allows the use of mathematical or bit operations while assuming the third integer can only be 1 or 0.

Undeveloping conviction

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 05 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. New ideas offer fresh perspectives because you come in without much attachment. This freedom helps in finding solutions to complex problems, whether in life or work.
  2. As you invest time and energy into a solution, it can create a heavy inertia that makes it hard to change courses, even if the solution isn't ideal.
  3. It's important to allow some doubt and explore different options. This can lead to better solutions, as trying new approaches helps you discover alternatives you might not have considered.

Problem 78: Finding the Distance between 2 sets[Goldman Sachs]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The problem discusses finding the distance between two sets in math and problem-solving contexts, with connections to logic and generation.
  2. Terms like R^n and |x| are explained, providing insight into real number n-dimensional spaces and calculating distances.
  3. The post encourages solving rare interview-style questions, useful for senior positions or competitive programs, showcasing the value of handling diverse problem scenarios.

A fun no-calculator Problem [Math Monday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 23 Aug 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. The newsletter shared a fun math problem that doesn't require advanced knowledge, great for problem-solving practice.
  2. The author offered a limited-time 50% discount to celebrate almost 50 questions completed in the newsletter.
  3. There was a special request for readers to fill out a form to recommend the newsletter to Substack for more visibility.

Let's cut some cake

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 20 Mar 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. To share something fairly, one person should cut it while the other picks their piece. This way, both care about fairness.
  2. In team discussions or disagreements, break down decisions into parts to find common ground and make it easier for everyone to agree.
  3. Using a math-based approach can help settle arguments quickly and fairly, showing that cooperation can work better than fighting.

The art of making Simplifying Assumptions[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 26 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The technique of making simplifying assumptions can help in problem-solving in various areas like System Design, Competitive Programming, and Math.
  2. Loosening computational constraints and accepting tradeoffs in performance metrics can lead to more optimal solutions by focusing on key aspects rather than trying to solve everything at once.
  3. Reducing scale, simplifying input, and picking optimal battlegrounds are strategies to make problem-solving more manageable and effective by breaking down complex problems into simpler components.

[Solution]Problem 48:Valid Parentheses[Amazon]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 21 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Understanding the concept of valid parentheses is crucial in coding interviews to solve classic problems like determining if a string of brackets is valid.
  2. Key rules for valid parentheses involve closing the brackets in the correct order and ensuring that the opening and closing brackets match.
  3. Developing an algorithm to validate parentheses involves utilizing the Last In, First Out (LIFO) principle with stacks to track opening and closing brackets.

[Solution]Problem 74: Find the First True in a Sorted Boolean Array [Stripe]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The post discusses a problem of finding the first true in a sorted boolean array, sharing a solution and inviting readers to think about a key concept that helps in solving more challenging problems.
  2. The key concept highlighted in the post aims to enhance fundamental concepts, problem-solving skills, and preparation for Leetcode-style interviews.
  3. By focusing on solving problems and reinforcing fundamental concepts, one can better prepare for coding interviews and enhance problem-solving abilities.

Problem 24: Sentence Checker[Nest]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 09 Feb 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. Create a basic sentence checker that validates sentences based on specific rules like capitalization, punctuation, and spacing.
  2. The sentence must start with a capital letter, have proper lowercase letters, separators, and terminal marks, and contain single spaces between words.
  3. Validation criteria include starting with a capital, having proper case usage, correct punctuation, and spacing. The sentence must end with a terminal mark following a word.

Useful skepticism

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 14 Feb 22
💼 Business Problem Solving
  1. Being skeptical is common because it's easier to see what could go wrong than what could go right. However, just being critical isn't enough; you also need to find solutions and create value.
  2. Instead of only questioning ideas, it's helpful to ask how they could succeed. This positive approach can lead to discovering new possibilities and innovations.
  3. While skepticism is a valuable tool, it can also lead to biases. It's important to balance it with open-mindedness and exploration to avoid closing off good opportunities.

The Cholocalate Milk Rule: Knowing when to sort your input [Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 05 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Knowing when to sort your input is crucial in certain coding problems. The Chocolate Milk Rule helps in identifying when sorting can lead to the solution.
  2. The Chocolate Milk Rule works when the solutions can be filtered based on ordering and when solutions are generated from input subsets. It can be applied in various scenarios like 3 Sum, 2 Sum Sorted, and even Search.
  3. Sorting the input makes it easier to filter solutions based on their magnitude. This simplifies the process of finding solutions to coding problems.

How seemingly 'unrelated' concepts can be helpful when solving complex problems [Math Monday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 04 Jul 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. The solution to complex problems often combines ideas from multiple domains, similar to how problem-solving in software engineering works.
  2. When faced with intimidating problems, remember that breaking them down into smaller components and using various techniques is key to finding the solution.
  3. Techniques used in math and coding interviews are often similar, such as using small test cases, analyzing functions, and reducing problems to previously solved cases.

Every Mantra has a Counter-Mantra

Olshansky's Newsletter • 22 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Problem Solving
  1. Every mantra has a counter-mantra, meaning there's always an opposing idea that can offer balance or a different perspective. It's important to remember this when you take advice or hear a popular saying.
  2. Mantras can be viewed as tools rather than strict rules. Just like you wouldn't use a hammer for everything, you shouldn't apply every piece of advice to every situation.
  3. Finding balance in life is not about sticking to one mantra but understanding that different situations may require different approaches or mindsets. It's all about using the right tool at the right time.

A list of questions to improve your performance on arrays[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 14 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. The post discusses a list of questions to enhance your array problem-solving skills. It emphasizes coding each solution for beginners and mentally solving for advanced readers.
  2. There is a reminder to use a specific system to maximize learning from each question presented.
  3. The publication includes a special request to show support by completing a form to feature the newsletter on Substack.

How a Software Engineer went from SW2 to Principal in 4 Years [StoryTime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 13 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Sometimes, in software engineering, it's important to simplify the solution rather than making it overly complex.
  2. In problem-solving, considering economic aspects alongside technical solutions can lead to more efficient and sustainable outcomes.
  3. To excel in software development, it's crucial to broaden your knowledge and decision-making skills beyond just coding.

Solving Coding Problems through Case by Case Analysis of Input[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Analyzing inputs and breaking down problems into different cases can help in solving coding problems more effectively.
  2. Practicing the technique of case-by-case analysis can improve problem-solving skills, especially in software engineering and Leetcode questions.
  3. By breaking down complex problems into easier subproblems and solving them individually, one can pick low-hanging fruit, find clearer next steps, and get hints on solving harder cases.

Problem 39: Find the Celebrity[Pintrest]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 26 May 22
🚌 Education Problem Solving
  1. Identifying a 'celebrity' in a group where everyone knows them but they know no one involves a logic puzzle with time complexity considerations.
  2. A key to solving the 'celebrity' problem efficiently is using the 'knows' method and a strategy to identify the person in O(N) time.
  3. Engaging with the author's content can involve liking posts, participating in surveys, or supporting them via Substack features.

[Solution]Problem 36: Container with Most Water[Two Sigma]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 06 May 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Maximizing the area of a container with water involves maximizing both its width and height, which leads to utilizing a technique like Two Pointers for an optimized solution.
  2. For the container problem discussed, starting with two pointers at the ends and progressively moving them towards each other to increase width helps in filtering out low width and height combinations.
  3. A key optimization technique known as 'Artem's Rule' states that if a > b, then a > all numbers lesser than b, which can be a foundational concept for various interview problem optimizations.

[Solution]Problem 35: 3 Sum[Netflix]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 29 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving
  1. Practice the skills mentioned in your interviews frequently to make problem-solving easier.
  2. Understanding the properties of numbers like knowing how values affect the sum can help in solving coding problems effectively.
  3. Sorting the input array can be crucial in solving problems where solutions need to be filtered based on certain properties of the input.