Yesterday's final Countdown number game was a tricky one, as you can probably gather from Carol's confused look in the above screenshot from the programme. However, it is possible to solve it, although I don't give anyone much of a chance of achieving it in 30 seconds.
So, what is the solution?
12 comments:
ok - so I wasted 10 minutes trying to do this.
So Far I can get 925.8 by:
10 * (100 + (10 / (5*25))) -75
I've now reverted to writing a computer programme.
I will solve this !!!
Starting to get depressed
computer got thru 712,000 possible combinations - might have to leave it running overnight
nope give up
Right - I have downloaded the history of countdown numbers games and there has never been a game with this particular selection of numbers and target value. This leads me to believe that it is a problem constructed by yourself in an attempt to maximise complexity. You are therefore a liar, a toad and a mountebank.
It was the final numbers game on Wednesday 19th March 2008, as implied from my entry. Here is a recap of that programme: http://www.thecountdowncorral.com/cd/recap.asp?recap=1381 I am therefore not a liar, an amphibian or a charlatan.
It was an exciting programme, ending in a draw and needing an extra deciding conundrum.
925.8 is a good effort, but it is possible to solve, you'll need to brush up on your programming skills perhaps!
right - there is no solution just given the 737,000 ways of combining 6 numbers with 5 operators - but this doesn't include all the methods involving brackets. There are 15 million ways of combining all 6 numbers, with brackets and operators. I am currently 10% of the way through that particular problem space.
I have now wasted 6 hours of my life. Before I waste anymore - can you confirm that this is possible using the standard countdown operators and rules.
Sadly this solution:
(100 - (10/25))*10 -75+5
is illegal. Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown_(game_show)
in particular "Decimals and fractions are not allowed - only integers may be used at any stage of the calculation"
You are therefore a liar, a toad and a mountebank.
Go peddle your viagra elsewhere
The only way I can see to do this while not breaking the _obvious_ decimal rule requires that to use 3 tens, as Mr White shows in his solution above. Therefore, this problem is unsolvable.
Well done, finally!
(100 - (10/25))*10 -75+5 is of course the solution.
I think raising technicalities like the legitimacy or otherwise of an interim result being non-integer in the "official rules" smacks of sour grapes from my metally astute readers. Perhaps my praising of 925.8 as a good effort could have been taken as a clue to this being a valid way to go.
Personally I think it is a shame that the TV version uses the "dumbed down" rules, the purity of the task is much more appropriately maintained if it is simply "get this solution using these 6 numbers and the 4 basic arithmetic operators" rather than putting on an arbitrary extra constraint. There might equally have said "only using blue pens for your working", "without visiting the number 666" or "without smiling".
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