How important is solving algorithm challenges in real life programming?

What is the value of the ∑nk=1k(nk)∑k=1nk(nk)sum_{k=1}^nkbegin{pmatrix}n\kend{pmatrix}?

How do you solve the question in the description below?

How is merge sort used in e-commerce?

How do I generate a parsimony tree and a maximum likelihood tree for a cancer genome?

What approach should I follow to solve any problem?

How do I learn a new algorithm for competitive programming?

What happens where are 2 shortest paths between 2 nodes, with same weights, in Djikstra? Are both the paths valid?

Why is my solution for ACODE (SPOJ) giving me TLE http://ideone.com/0LgFMz?

How do I find the number of comparisons in any sorting algorithm, especially in the bucket sort?

If you need to store undo/redo operations in a word processor, which data structure can be used?

Is 1SAT NP-complete?

How do you add numbers from 5 linked lists?

Is it a waste of time to learn machine learning library such as TensorFlow instead of implement the algorithms from scratch?

How can I know my worth when it comes to intuition and wit, which are needed for passing competitive exams or solving complex problems?

What is the value of the summation of k =1 to n k k. nCk?

What is a two-dimensional personality?

Why does my bubble sort method work for one array but not the other?

Which algorithms are used in identity based, proxy oriented, data uploading and remote data integrity checking in the public cloud?

Is there a sorting algorithm that can sort the given n numbers in O(1) where n>2?