Reminds me of what a professor did in one of my college classes, an algorithms analysis class.

The first assignment we received was a problem that many of us wondered why she was giving us so long (2 weeks) to complete, as simple as it sounded: given a group of entries, their weight and values, what was the combination below a certain weight that would give the most value?

It was after she took up our programs that she told us that it was called the "knapsack problem," one of a class of problems called NP-complete, and that one of the data samples had been designed specifically to approach the CPU time limit for users of our user group. After that, most of us never underestimated the projects we were given in that class.

I disagree only in one point-at the point they are in the trap you mentioned that deeply, either they will accept your advice without force, or they will reject it completely, feeling it a challenge to their knowledge that they must overcome without help. Many times they will reach a point at which they will be asking around for help, if they realize how deeply they are in it (and the subject isn't classified or need-to-know, such as the automated system for initiating a SCRAM(1) in a PWR(2) based on instrument readings in something like the last situation given).

  1. SCRAM - the sudden but complete shutdown of a reactor , usually when when an abnormal situation has occurred, normally by the complete insertion of special control rods designed to quench the reaction. (3)
  2. PWR - pressurized water reactor; a nuclear reactor in which coolant (water) in the core is maintained in a closed-loop at higher temperatures and under pressure, and is piped through a heat-exchanging system to produce steam in a second, isolated loop for the steam turbines. This differs from a BWR (boiling water reactor), in which the coolant (water) in the core boils, with the steam from the core going directly to the steam turbines.
  3. And no, I'm not a nuclear engineer-the subject just fascinated me when I was younger.

In reply to Re^2: When do you step in, and why? by atcroft
in thread When do you step in, and why? by dws

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