SOLUTION: Place a half-dollar, a quarter, and a nickel in position A. Try to move these coins, one at a time, to position C. At no time may a larger coin be placed on a smaller coin. Coins

Question 987080: Place a half-dollar, a quarter, and a nickel in position A. Try to move these coins, one at a time, to position C. At no time may a larger coin be placed on a smaller coin. Coins may be placed in position B.
a. How many moves does it take to get them to position C?
b. Now add a penny to the pile and see how many moves are required. This is a simple case of the famous Tower of Hanoi problem, in which ancient Brahman priests were required to move a pile of 64 disks of decreasing size, after which the world would end. How long did it take at a rate of one move per second.
Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!


       N       |       |
0      Q       |       |
       H       |       |
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
1      Q       |       |
       H       |       N
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
2      |       |       |
       H       Q       N
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
3      |       N       |
       H       Q       |
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
4      |       N       |
       |       Q       H
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
5      |       |       |
       N       Q       H
---------------------------------------

       |       |       |
6      |       |       Q
       N       |       H
---------------------------------------

       |       |       N
7      |       |       Q
       |       |       H
---------------------------------------

For

disks,

moves.

64 disks at 1 move per second would take 584.54 Billion years give or take a couple of million years. Compare to the estimated age of the universe since the Big Bang at 13.772 Billion years.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

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