IBM Ponder This: Garden Hoses

[James Dow Allen]

Recreational math fans should remember to check IBM's site every month.
This month's problem
http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/wwwr_ponder.nsf/Challenges/April2012.html
is interesting, though perhaps more a matter of combinatorial fiddling than "mathematics."
IBM's puzzle is for 8 pipes. What about 6 or 10? (Odd numbers?)

IBM's puzzle is a contest, so no spoilers please until May.

James

[Bill]

On Apr 5, 11:57 pm, James Dow Allen <gm...@jamesdowallen.nospam>
wrote:

> Recreational math fans should remember to check IBM's site every month.
> This month's problem

>        http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/wwwr_ponder.nsf/Challenges/April2...

> is interesting, though perhaps more a matter of combinatorial fiddling than "mathematics."
> IBM's puzzle is for 8 pipes.  What about 6 or 10?  (Odd numbers?)
>
> IBM's puzzle is a contest, so no spoilers please until May.
>
> James

I quote from Ponder This April 2012

"For example, here is a solution to the same problem with a single bit
(so only two lines instead of 32):
TA,CH:AB
TG,EF:DG,EF:"

Should the second line be:
TG,DE:DG,EF: ratger than TG,EF:DG,EF:

I should have contacted IBM research, but this way is easier if you
can
help me.

Thank you,

regards,
Bill J

[James Dow Allen]

On Apr 27, 5:06 am, Bill <b92...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I quote from Ponder This April 2012
>
> "For example, here is a solution to the same problem with a single bit
> (so only two lines instead of 32):
> TA,CH:AB
> TG,EF:DG,EF:"
>
> Should the second line be:
> TG,DE:DG,EF: ratger than  TG,EF:DG,EF:

There are many many ways to configure successfully
with 8 hoses for a single bit; I think either yours
or IBM's works fine.

No idea how they chose their example. I think they
were more concerned with making the required syntax
clear than giving an interesting example.

James

[Curlytop]

Bill set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time continuum:

> On Apr 5, 11:57 pm, James Dow Allen <gm...@jamesdowallen.nospam>
> wrote:
>> Recreational math fans should remember to check IBM's site every month.
>> This month's problem
>> http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/wwwr_ponder.nsf/Challenges/April2...
>> is interesting, though perhaps more a matter of combinatorial fiddling
>> than "mathematics." IBM's puzzle is for 8 pipes.  What about 6 or 10?
>> (Odd numbers?)
>>
>> IBM's puzzle is a contest, so no spoilers please until May.
>>
>> James
>
> I quote from Ponder This April 2012
>
> "For example, here is a solution to the same problem with a single bit
> (so only two lines instead of 32):
> TA,CH:AB
> TG,EF:DG,EF:"

There's a hosepipe ban in the UK at the moment so sorry we can't
contribute. :)
--
ξ: ) Proud to be curly

Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply

[James Dow Allen]

James Dow Allen <gm...@jamesdowallen.nospam> might have writ, in
news:XnsA02D8DD9440...@178.63.61.145:

> Recreational math fans should remember to check IBM's site every
> month. This month's problem
> http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/wwwr_ponder.nsf/Challenges/A
> pril2012.html
> is interesting, though perhaps more a matter of combinatorial fiddling

> than "mathematics." ...

I just clicked to the site again and was surprised by the solution.
The problem was more interesting than I thought.

I found a solution that yielded exactly 32 cases, as the puzzle asked for,
and stopped working, assuming I'd found the intended (and presumaby) "best"
solution. But solutions with up to 46 cases were found! (And still with no
maximality proof.) This could be an interesting research problem.

The May puzzle

http://domino.research.ibm.com/Comm/wwwr_ponder.nsf/Challenges/May2012.html
seems less interesting to me, but I'm probably missing something as these
Ponder puzzles are almost always very good. Judging by the number of
solvers already listed, May's puzzle is much easier than the norm.

James Dow Allen