Problem Categories

Programming Contest problems come in many shapes and sizes. One step that can help in successfully solving a problem is to determine the nature of that problem. One of the easiest ways for people to do this is to make up a list of categories and then decide which category(s) the problem fits into. So here is a first cut in making a list of categories.

Problem Categories

Category	Distinguishing Features
Packing Problems	Fitting some shaped item into another shaped item
2-D	Can 2-D object X fit in/pass through 2-D object Y
3-D Perspective	What is visible, are two items the same
Combinations/Permutations	Solve some puzzle that requires calculation/production of acombination/permutation of items
Network	Minimum/maximum distance...
Inventory	Classic start with a list, add/remove/modidy list, display list of state whether operations are possible
Simultaneous Equations	Solve a situation with N unknowns (inequalities also)
String Containment	Is some string(s) contained in another string(s)/matrix
Rotation/Transformation	What happens when a series of rotations/transformations are applied to an object
Clock Arithmetic	Take the Nth item
Numerical Relationship	Primes, Pascal's triangle, Fibanacci Series, Factorial
Trig Relations	Problems tht require trig relationships to solve