Algo Ace 2.0 - Session 03 - Greedy Thinking - Making Optimal Decisions Fast

Description

Event: Algo Ace 2.0 – Session 03 Topic: Greedy Thinking – Making Optimal Decisions Fast Speaker: Mr. Sasanka Weerakoon , Software Engineer at Aiken (Pvt.) Ltd | Full Stack Developer Date: 04th July 2026 Time: 7.00 PM – 9.00 PM Mode: Online (Zoom) Overview Algo Ace 2.0 Session 03 was conducted with the objective of introducing participants to one of the most fundamental algorithm design paradigms used in competitive programming and real-world optimization problems: Greedy Algorithms. Building on the algorithmic patterns covered in the previous sessions, this workshop focused on developing the intuition required to recognize Greedy problems, understand when Greedy solutions are valid, and apply efficient decision-making strategies to solve optimization challenges. Session Highlights The session explored the principles behind Greedy Algorithms through practical examples, real-world scenarios, and contest oriented problems. Topics covered included: • Brute Force vs Greedy Thinking and understanding the tradeoffs between exhaustive search and locally optimal decisions. • The Greedy Choice Property and identifying when a Greedy solution leads to a globally optimal result. • Combining Sorting with Greedy techniques to improve efficiency and simplify decision-making. • The Activity Selection Problem as a classic example of interval scheduling. • Meeting Room Scheduler and efficient interval selection strategies. • Delivery Route Optimization using Greedy decision-making concepts. • Contest Pattern Recognition and techniques for identifying Greedy problems in competitive programming. • Live problem-solving demonstrations to reinforce Greedy strategies through practical coding examples. Throughout the session, the speaker demonstrated how Greedy Algorithms are applied in scheduling systems, logistics, resource allocation, and other optimization problems commonly encountered in both software engineering and competitive programming. Participants also engaged in an interactive quiz at the end of the session, allowing them to assess their understanding of the concepts covered while earning points towards the Algo Ace 2.0 leaderboard. The session successfully strengthened participants’ understanding of Greedy Algorithms and prepared them for applying these techniques in future Code Arena challenges and competitive programming contests.