Algorithms Jeopardy!
A review game for Wednesday's midterm, with extra credit on the line
Willamette University | Fall 2026
Outline
- The game: the board, the teams, the buzzer
- Rules and scoring: how a clue plays, and what it is worth
- Final round and after: the wager, then timed practice
The game
The board, the teams, the buzzer
The board
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Growth of functions | ordering functions, true or false about O, Ω, Θ |
| Recurrences | solve it, name the algorithm, say which level dominates |
| Sorting | which sort when, running times, the lower bound, linear-time sorts |
| Hashing | slots and chains, load factor, worst case vs expected |
| Binary search trees | BST facts, skew, AVL rotations |
| Binary heaps | array indices, delete_max, build, heap sort |
100 to 500 points. 100s and 200s are quick recall. 400s and 500s are short traces or explanations: work them on paper first, then buzz.
Teams and the buzzer
- Play with your project team. Sit together.
- One phone per team is the buzzer. Open the site below, enter the game code, and enter your team name exactly as it appears on the scoreboard.
- When a clue appears, read it, confer quietly, then buzz. The first buzz gets the answer; everyone else waits.
- If the buzzer misbehaves, hands go up and the host picks the first hand.
buzzin.live · game code: ________
Find your team and sit together
TEAM 1 Felicity Chin Conor Vahey Oscar Yaun | TEAM 2 Hannah Bregel Lucy Dobson Grace Yanzito | TEAM 3 Catalina Bush Miles Fukuhara Maddie Strate |
TEAM 4 Caden Dirnberger Jessica Liu Julien Rivera | TEAM 5 Ryland Hawkins Jillian Price Sonora Sandoval | TEAM 6 James Brand Adrian Fraire Noah Klarreich |
TEAM 7 Sydney Bell Liam Cochran Tusker Howard | TEAM 8 Emalia Freitas Jade Nilsson Kole Yadon | TEAM 9 Dominic Canale Cecil Michaux Mateo Rekow Colt Simpson |
Project teams as set in Canvas. One phone per team for the buzzer; pick who holds it.
Rules and scoring
How a clue plays, and what it is worth
How a clue plays
- The team with control picks a category and a value.
- The clue goes up. Any team may buzz once it is read.
- The team that buzzed first gives one answer within 30 seconds. The answer must include the reason, not only the result.
- The host reveals the answer and marks it right or wrong.
- Right: the team takes the points and control. Wrong: the clue stays open for one steal by another team.
Teams do not help other teams. A team that blurts an answer without buzzing forfeits the clue.
Scoring
| Outcome | Points | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Right | + value | moves to that team |
| Wrong | − value | unchanged; one other team may steal |
| Steal right | + value to the stealing team | moves to that team |
| Nobody | no change | unchanged |
Team totals and the extra credit they currently represent are on screen the whole time.
Extra credit on the midterm
- Game points convert to extra credit on Wednesday's midterm: every 500 game points = 1 exam point, rounded to a tenth.
- Maximum 5 exam points per team. Every member of the team receives the same amount.
- A balance below zero earns nothing. So a wrong answer does not cost you exam points, but it does cost you extra credit you could have had.
- That is the whole point of the minus: buzz when you can justify the answer, not when you can guess it.
A team finishing at 2,300 points earns 4.6 extra points on the midterm. A team finishing at −200 earns 0.
Final round and after
The wager, then timed practice
Final round
- Each team wagers any amount from 0 up to its current total. Write it down before the clue is shown.
- The clue is a short proof. Every team writes it on paper, 5 minutes, no buzzing.
- Teams swap papers and grade against the rubric on the answer screen. The host settles disputes.
- Right adds the wager; wrong subtracts it. Then the final scores and extra credit are locked.
If you are ahead, wager what keeps you ahead if you miss. If you are behind, the wager is your only way up.
After the game
| Next 25 minutes | Timed practice worksheet, alone, on paper: one AVL insert-and-rotate sequence, one scaffolded induction proof. Name on it for participation credit. |
| Leaving class | Take the Jeopardy question-and-answer sheet. Every clue, with the answer and the reason. |
| After class | The worksheet key is posted. |
| Wednesday, October 14 | Midterm, in class, on paper. Bring printed copies of your own homework, feedback, and code if you want them. |
The exam is the same six areas with different inputs. Practice the reasoning, not the numbers.
