Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Tower Puzzle

In 5th grade enrichment, we have been learning about combinatorics and the different numbers of combinations that possibilities have.  Here's a sample problem:  At the sandwich shop, you can choose wheat, white, or rye bread.  You must order 1 (but only 1) meat and can choose from ham, turkey, or roast beef.  You can also choose whether you want mustard, mayo, lettuce, and tomato.  How many different sandwich combinations are possible?  ANSWER: 144 (3 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2)

The "tower puzzle" (related to the Tower of Hanoi myth) is also a type of combinatorics problem.  Go to this link and try to solve each puzzle in the minimum number of moves.

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