Algorithmic Puzzles

1. 1. Algorithmic Puzzles
2. 2. Presenter • Amrinder Arora • Adjunct Faculty at GWU, since Spring 2010 • Typically
teaching Algorithms • amrinder@gwu.edu • On the web at: •
http://www.standardwisdom.com/ • https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrinderarora •
http://www.slideshare.net/amrinderarora Algorithmic Puzzles 2
3. 3. Puzzles! • Coins – Real vs. Counterfeit • Uneven Pitchers • Strong Eggs and Tiny
Floors • N people in a Circle Even More.. • Puzzle the Puzzler! Algorithmic Puzzles 3
4. 4. Find the counterfeit coin. Do NOT contact the police. We will be in touch. Algorithmic
Puzzles 4
5. 5. Of 12 coins, one is counterfeit and weighs either more or less than the other coins. You
have an old-fashioned balance with two scales. You have to find out which coin is
counterfeit, and whether it is lighter or heavier then the other coins. Algorithmic Puzzles
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6. 6. Counterfeit Coin • For 12 coins, 3 weighings are sufficient. • Measure 4 against 4 • If
they are equal, compare 3 good coins with 3 unknown ones • If they are not equal,
compare w1 w2 l1 with w3 w4 n1 • If they are equal, either l2, l3 or l4 is lighter. • If left
is heavy, then either w1 or w2 is heavy • If left is light, either l1 is light, or w3 or w4 is
heavy • For 14 coins, 3 weighings are not sufficient? (Why? Because log328 > 3). • How
about for 13 coins? (We observe that log326 < 3) Algorithmic Puzzles 6
7. 7. Counterfeit Coin (Algorithmic and Decision Tree View) • 24 possible outcomes
overall. Compare 4 vs. 4. • 8 possible outcomes if Left < Right • 8 possible outcomes if
Right > Left • 8 possible outcomes if Left = Right • If we measure any other way (5 vs. 5)
• If 5 vs. 5 then there are 10 possible outcomes if Left < Right • Log310 > 2 and we
cannot solve that particular scenario in 2 more weighings. • If 3 vs. 3, there are 12
possible outcomes if Left = Right • Therefore 4 vs. 4 is the only winning strategy. • For
this reason, 13 coins are not possible to solve using only 3 weighings, even though 26 is
less than 3^3. • If you design a decision tree for n coins, you can use this lower bound
analysis technique to design the right decision tree Algorithmic Puzzles 7
8. 8. Water and Pitchers You have two pitchers, one of 5 gallons, and other of 8 gallons
[The pitchers are irregularly shaped and without markings] You also have a faucet, and as
much water as you'd like. Can you get 3 gallons? Can you obtain 1 gallon? 2? 4? 6? 7?
Algorithmic Puzzles 8
9. 9. Water and Pitchers (cont.) Where can we go from here: (x,y) Empty first/seconda.
(0,y) / (x,0) Fill first/secondb. (5,y) / (x,8) Second to First, x+yc. (5,x+y-5) > 5
Second to First, x+y ≤ 5d. (x+y,0) First to Second, x+ye. (x+y-8,8) > 8 First to
Second, x+y ≤ 8f. (0,x+y) Algorithmic Puzzles 9
10. 10. Water and Pitchers (cont.) (0,0) (0,8) // b. fill second1. (5,3) // c. second to first2.
(0,3) // a. empty first3. (3,0) // d. second to first4. (3,8) // b. fill second5. (5,6) // c.
second to first6. (0,6) // a. empty first7. (5,1) // c. second to first8. (0,1) // a. empty
first9. Algorithmic Puzzles 10
11. 11. Water and Pitchers (cont.) • Variation. We are also given an infinite pitcher. • So,
given 71 and 74 gallon pitchers, we should be able to get 67 gallons, or 20167 gallons
(possibly in the infinite pitcher) • Question: What is the minimum number of moves that
you need to collect 1 gallon? Algorithmic Puzzles 11
12. 12. Water and Pitchers (cont.) • GCD: greatest common divisor. Largest number that
divides both the given numbers. • Relevant to this puzzle for multiple reasons. • GCD is
also defined as the smallest positive number that can be written as a linear combination of
given numbers with integer coefficients. are integers., m, where n + • GCD(n,m) =
• GCD can be calculated using Euclid’s algorithm.
http://www.slideshare.net/amrinderarora/euclids-algorithm- for-greatest-common-divisor
Algorithmic Puzzles 12
13. 13. Water and Pitchers (cont.) • GCD(74,71) = 1 = 24 x 74 – 25 x 71 Algorithmic Puzzles
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14. 14. Strong Eggs and Tiny Floors Algorithmic Puzzles 14
15. 15. Eggs and Floors • Given n floors and m eggs • Need to find the highest floor from
which eggs can be thrown safely. •We need to minimize the number of throws (not
broken eggs) • If an egg is thrown and it survives, then it can be reused. Algorithmic
Puzzles 15
16. 16. Eggs and Floors (cont.) • Comment from “Brandon” This entire “puzzle” is based on
an assumption that an egg really can survive a 100 story drop. Personally I have never
seen an egg fall more than about 8″ without breaking so this is a theoretical, hypothetical
question with no factual basis. Both eggs could break after the 1st drop from the 1st floor
which means your whole experiment is screwed… Algorithmic Puzzles 16
17. 17. Strong Eggs and Tiny Floors [We need to adjust the puzzle.] • Given n tiny floors and
m strong eggs • Need to find the highest floor from which eggs can be thrown safely.
•We need to minimize the number of throws (not broken eggs) • If an egg is thrown and it
survives, then it can be reused. Algorithmic Puzzles 18
18. 18. Algorithmic Puzzles 19
19. 19. Strong Eggs and Tiny Floors (cont.) • Let f(n,m) be the minimum number of attempts
given n floors and m eggs. [There is no guarantee that we will still have the egg intact
after the test.] • Then, f(n,1) = n // We have no option but to climb floors one by one. •
Similarly, f(1,m) = 1 // We just need one try if there is only one floor Algorithmic
Puzzles 20
20. 20. Strong Eggs and Tiny Floors (cont.) • The recursion is built around the first action –
which floor do we try the first egg from. If that is j, and if the egg breaks, then we have j-
1 floors left, m-1 eggs left. If the egg doesn’t break, then we have n-j floors and m eggs
left. Recursive formula: • Dynamic Programming implementation: • nm entries in the
table. • To compute each entry, we need O(n) time. • O(n2m) time. • O(nm) time is also
possible – no need to span the full range of j. • Source code at:
http://standardwisdom.com/softwarejournal/2010/10/puzzles-and-answers/ Algorithmic
Puzzles 21
21. 21. People in a Circle Puzzle • There are n people are standing in a circle, numbered from
1..n • Every k-th person (for example, second) person sits down going around the circle
repeatedly until there is only one person standing. • What position person is the last one
standing? • Examples • n = 3, k = 2. Person 2 sits down. Person 1 sits down. Person 3 is
the last person standing. • n = 5, k = 3. Person 3. Person 1. Person 5. Person 2. Person 4 is
the last person standing. Algorithmic Puzzles 22
22. 22. People in a Circle Puzzle (Cont.) • Analyzing the specific case of k = 2 • Start with
special case of n = 2m. In that case, person 1 is clearly the last person standing. •We can
now consider the general case that n = 2m + z. • In the first round, after we have
 eliminated z players, that means we are looking at 2z+1 player as our first player, and
now there are 2m players in the game, so by that logic, 2z+1 player should be the last
person standing. Algorithmic Puzzles 23
23. 23. Puzzle the Puzzler! • Grab a pizza. • Grab a drink. • Ask me a question. • Send it via
the contact form at http://www.standardwisdom.com/ • Or, send it to me at:
amrinder@gwu.edu Algorithmic Puzzles 24
24. 24. Image Credits • www.lumaxart.com/ for • http://www.keepcalm-o-
matic.co.uk/p/makes-no-sense-at-all/ for “Makes no sense” • http://www.diylol.com/ for
“It all makes sense now” • Flickr user SamFa - https://www.flickr.com/photos/tromal/ for
picture of the pottery. • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Building#mediav
iewer/File:Looking_Up_at_Empire_State_Building.JPG for the Empire State Building
Picture (GPL). • http://www.myteespot.com/ “Drop it like its hot” angry bird.
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