Monday, November 16, 2009

Efficiency Obstacle



Trying to get my blogging going tonight but was detoured by a math website with this puzzle on it.

Can't figure it out....got my blood boiling now.

My son might like this, though he's got quite the raging frustration gene in him too.

Must be from Mom.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

For most of them you just start from where there's only space enough for a single digit. I only saw maybe two out of ten or so that this wasn't the best initial giveaway.

This one was easier because of the very tall piece. If the puzzle is 10x10 with the numbers running 1-5 twice over along the top and the side, you know that the long piece can only go one of two places: along the bottom row, three in; or with the 5 in the top row (both have to be in the first repetition or else there isn't enough space to the right.) I was working from the bottom left in my head, because that was easier for me to visualize.

It can't be in the top row, because then there's no piece that will fit in the bottom left: there is only one piece that has a 5 in the bottom left, and it's two squares wide. There's no other piece that will fit around that piece and is only 1 square wide when you need it to be.

Anyway, it's hard to explain, but it all makes sense in my head. Here's the screenshot of the solution I wrote up once I'd figured it out:

http://tinypic.com/r/1has7s/4

Fun game! I've had fun wasting time on it.

CaptiousNut said...

Very good!

Can't believe you wrote that all up.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I have issues. I like your blog though, and am enjoy reading it.

Except for the toenails. I could do without the toenails.

CaptiousNut said...

The feet may be deemed off-putting.

But one must allow for my *offsets*...

E.g. the stroller pic.