Python 3.3 vs. MSDOS Basic

[Tim Daneliuk]

On 02/18/2013 03:54 PM, Ian Kelly wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 12:13 PM, John Immarino <johimm at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I coded a Python solution for Problem #14 on the Project Euler website. I was very surprised to find that it took 107 sec. to run even though it's a pretty simple program.  I also coded an equivalent solution for the problem in the old MSDOS basic. (That's the 16 bit app of 1980s vintage.)  It ran in 56 sec. Is there a flaw in my coding, or is Python really this slow in this particular application. MSDOS Basic usually runs at a snails pace compared to Python.
>
> Well, I don't see anything that looks especially slow in that code,
> but the algorithm that you're using is not very efficient.  I rewrote
> it using dynamic programming (details left as an exercise), which got
> the runtime down to about 4 seconds.
>

Are you sure you wouldn't like to share with the class?  I'd be interested
in seeing your approach...



-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Daneliuk     tundra at tundraware.com
PGP Key:         http://www.tundraware.com/PGP/