Uploads from Xah Lee

Currently Playing: Xah Ep728 Wolfram Language, Advent of Code 2025, Day 3, part 2

Introduction to Advent of Code and Wolfram Language: The video starts with the host introducing the Advent of Code 2025 Day 3 Part 2 challenge, emphasizing the use of Wolfram Language (0:03). Critique of Advent of Code Website: The host criticizes the Advent of Code website for its hardcoded layout, dark theme, and readability issues (1:34). Problem Statement (Part 1 Review): The host explains the Day 3 Part 1 problem, which involves picking two digits from a number, combining them, and finding the maximum, then summing these maximums (2:49). Problem Statement (Part 2): The focus shifts to Part 2, which requires picking 12 digits (6:04). Initial Approach and Challenges with Recursion: The host attempts to solve the problem using a recursive function in Wolfram Language, encountering issues with handling the first step differently from subsequent steps (28:09, 58:40, 1:00:12). Exploring Wolfram Language Functions (PositionLargest, TakeLargest): The host investigates Wolfram Language's built-in functions like PositionLargest and TakeLargest to find the largest digits and their positions (1:16:36, 1:51:53). Issues with TakeLargest and Sorting: It's discovered that TakeLargest reorders elements in descending order, which is not desired for the problem (1:18:48). Further Challenges and Debugging: The host continues to face difficulties in getting the correct output for specific examples, highlighting issues with sorting and truncating the results (2:19:02, 2:25:19, 2:31:42, 2:34:45). Reflecting on Wolfram Language Syntax and Programming Paradigms: The host discusses the flexibility and potential complexities of Wolfram Language syntax, comparing it to other programming paradigms like functional programming vs. imperative/procedural languages (2:51:51). Frustration with Advent of Code: The host expresses frustration with the Advent of Code problems, noting their time-consuming nature (2:45:38). Notes at http://xahlee.info/talk_show/xah_talk_show_ep728.html If browser says security error, that is because it auto changes URL from HTTP to HTTPS. It's a way to censor 22 million old websites. Remove the S in HTTPS. Or use brave browser or safari.