document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=85828>Question 85828</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> please sir,help me to solve this question fast and urgently.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the question is - mala has a beautiful necklace,made up of 5 sections,each section consisting of 4 links.once she took the necklace to a goldsmith and asked to give her an estimate to join the 5 sections into one piece necklace.the goldsmith demanded Rs 2 to cut open a link and Rs 2 to solder it together again.what is the cheapest method to get these 5 pieces joined together in one full necklace? how much would it cost? </SPAN>\n" );
document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #62023 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><B>bucky(2189)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=bucky><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/nopicture.jpg><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=62023\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> The problem describes Mala's necklace as being 5 sections of 4 links each which can be<BR>\n" );
document.write( "represented like this:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "oooo  oooo  oooo  oooo  oooo<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Normally you would think that you link them by opening a link at the end of one of the sections,<BR>\n" );
document.write( "linking it to the next section and closing the link to join the two sections together.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "This means that you would cut a link for each of the open spaces shown above and solder it <BR>\n" );
document.write( "back together to make the necklace a single piece.  Since there are 5 open spaces to <BR>\n" );
document.write( "be linked as shown above (the 4 spaces in the string plus the end needs to be joined to <BR>\n" );
document.write( "the beginning), this would require 5 links to be cut (one link at the end of each section) <BR>\n" );
document.write( "and resoldered which would cost Rs 10 for unsoldering 5 links and Rs 10 to resolder the<BR>\n" );
document.write( "5 links, a total of Rs 20.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "However, what if the goldsmith took one of the sections (4 links) and cut each of the <BR>\n" );
document.write( "links open in that section? Then Mayla would have a necklace consisting of the remaining<BR>\n" );
document.write( "4 sections and 4 open links as represented below:<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "oooo  oooo  oooo  oooo   o  o  o  o<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "The 4 spaced links shown above represent the one section in which each link has <BR>\n" );
document.write( "been opened. <BR>\n" );
document.write( "Notice now that there are 4 sections to be joined, so there are 4 links to <BR>\n" );
document.write( "be made <BR>\n" );
document.write( "(three spaces shown above plus linking the end to the start of the first section). <BR>\n" );
document.write( "The goldsmith has 4 open links to make those 4 connections, so he just links the 4 sections <BR>\n" );
document.write( "with the 4 open links and resolders them.  This means that the goldsmith gets Rs 8 to open<BR>\n" );
document.write( "the 4 links and Rs 8 to resolder them in linking the 4 remaining sections of the necklace ...<BR>\n" );
document.write( "a total cost of Rs 16.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "This appears to be the cheapest way of having the one-piece necklace made.<BR>\n" );
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document.write( " </SPAN>\n" );
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