Problems

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Found: 889

Show that \(x \oplus y = 0\) if and only if \(x = y\). Remember that \(x \oplus y\) denotes the nim-sum of \(x\) and \(y\).

Show that \(\text{Nim}(x,y,z)\) is a losing position if and only if \(x \oplus y \oplus z = 0\). Remember that \(x \oplus y\) denotes the nim-sum of \(x\) and \(y\).

Is \(\text{Nim}(7,11,15)\) a winning position or a losing position? If it is a winning position, what is the optimal move?

Show that \(\text{Nim}(x_1,\dots,x_k)\) is an losing position if and only if \(x_1 \oplus \dots \oplus x_k = 0\). \(x \oplus y\) denotes the nim-sum of \(x\) and \(y\).

If a magician puts \(1\) dove into his hat, he pulls out \(2\) rabbits and \(2\) flowers from it. If the magician puts \(1\) rabbit in, he pulls out \(2\) flowers and \(2\) doves. If he puts \(1\) flower in, he pulls out \(1\) rabbit and \(3\) doves. The magician starts with \(1\) rabbit. Could he end up with the same number of rabbits, doves, and flowers after performing his hat trick several times?

In the other room there are two doors. The statements on them say:

  1. There is treasure behind at least one of the doors.

  2. There is treasure behind the first door.

Your guide says: The first sign is true if there is treasure behind the first door, otherwise it is false. The second sign is false if there is treasure behind the second door, otherwise it is true. What would you do?

For any real number \(x\), the absolute value of \(x\), written \(\left| x \right|\), is define to be \(x\) if \(x>0\) and \(-x\) if \(x \leq 0\). What is \(\left| 3 \right|\), \(\left| -4.3 \right|\) and \(\left| 0 \right|\)?

Prove that for any real number \(x\), \(x \leq \left| x \right|\) and \(0 \leq \left| x \right|\). Then prove that for any real numbers \(x,y\), the triangle inequality holds: \(\left| x+y \right| \leq \left| x \right|+\left| y \right|\).

There are \(n\) balls labelled 1 to \(n\). If there are \(m\) boxes labelled 1 to \(m\) containing the \(n\) balls, a legal position is one in which the box containing the ball \(i\) has number at most the number on the box containing the ball \(i+1\), for every \(i\).

There are two types of legal moves: 1. Add a new empty box labelled \(m+1\) and pick a box from box 1 to \(m+1\), say the box \(j\). Move the balls in each box with (box) number at least \(j\) up by one box. 2. Pick a box \(j\), shift the balls in the boxes with (box) number strictly greater than \(j\) down by one box. Then remove the now empty box \(m\).

Prove it is possible to go from an initial position with \(n\) boxes with the ball \(i\) in the box \(i\) to any legal position with \(m\) boxes within \(n+m\) legal moves.

Given natural number \(n\), find a formula for the number of \(k\) such that \(k\) is coprime to \(n\). Prove the formula works.