November 06, 2006
Every great ACM problem consists of three acts.The first act is called "The Deception". The judge shows you an ordinary problem, but of course... it probably isn't.
The second act is called "The Dilemma". The judge makes his ordinary problem turn into something extraordinary.
Now if you're looking for the special case... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Despair"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where submissions hang in the balance, and the final test case is something shocking you've never considered before.
(Original lines from The Prestige. Spoiler warning!)
