"The smallest dividend is 228" perhaps? WFL On 1/15/19, Mike Beeler <mikebeeler2@gmail.com> wrote:
OK, now addressing Rich’s actual question. There are 601 puzzles (division problems) that have the “correct form”. Each has 5 to 10 symbols; so 5 is the fewest symbols (as in Foxtrot), and 40 of the 601 have 5 symbols. Among the 40 puzzles, there are 31 patterns of where those 5 symbols appear; 22 patterns have a unique solution, and 9 have two solutions. Among the 40, the divisor ranges from 228 to 960. The smallest divisor is 228, and it occurs with only one pattern, so its solution is unique. That puzzle is:
A C --------------- A B ) B B D A B ----- A Z D A Z D ----- Z
(“Correct form” = radix ten, 2-digit divisor, 2-digit quotient, 3-digit dividend, 2-digit first product, 3-digit second product, no leading zeros, remainder zero.)
— Mike
On Jan 14, 2019, at 12:41 AM, rcs@xmission.com wrote:
I dunno -- fewest symbols? smallest dividend? --Rich
Quoting Fred Lunnon <fred.lunnon@gmail.com>:
Agreed; but smallest in what metric? WFL
On 1/13/19, rcs@xmission.com <rcs@xmission.com> wrote:
There's a cute puzzle at
https://www.foxtrot.com/2019/01/13/cell-division/
I get a unique answer. Perhaps the smallest such puzzle?
Rich
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