1 2 3 4
2 1 4 3
2 4 1 3
4 2 3 1
4 3 2 1
3 4 1 2
3 1 4 2
1 3 2 4
3 1 2 4
1 3 4 2
1 4 3 2
4 1 2 3
4 2 1 3
2 4 3 1
2 3 4 1
3 2 1 4
2 3 1 4
3 2 4 1
3 4 2 1
4 3 1 2
4 1 3 2
1 4 2 3
1 2 4 3
2 1 3 4
I have constructed peals for five and six bells respectively, and a
solution is possible for any number of bells under the conditions
previously stated.
269.--THREE MEN IN A BOAT.
If there were no conditions whatever, except that the men were all to go
out together, in threes, they could row in an immense number of
different ways. If the reader wishes to know how many, the number is
455^7. And with the condition that no two may ever be together more than
once, there are no fewer than 15,567,552,000 different solutions--that
is, different ways of arranging the men. With one solution before him,
the reader will realize why this must be, for although, as an example, A
must go out once with B and once with C, it does not necessarily follow
that he must go out with C on the same occasion that he goes with B. He
might take any other letter with him on that occasion, though the fact
of his taking other than B would have its effect on the arrangement of
the other triplets.
Of course only a certain number of all these arrangements are available
when we have that other condition of using the smallest possible number
of boats. As a matter of fact we need employ only ten different boats.
Here is one the arrangements:--
1 2 3 4 5
1st Day (ABC) (DBF) (GHI) (JKL) (MNO)
8 6 7 9 10
2nd Day (ADG) (BKN) (COL) (JEI) (MHF)
3 5 4 1 2
3rd Day (AJM) (BEH) (CFI) (DKO) (GNL)
7 6 8 9 1
4th Day (AEK) (CGM) (BOI) (DHL) (JNF)
4 5 3 10 2
5th Day (AHN) (CDJ) (BFL) (GEO) (MKI)
6 7 8 10 1
6th Day (AFO) (BGJ) (CKH) (DNI) (MEL)
5 4 3 9 2
7th Day (AIL) (BDM) (CEN) (GKF) (JHO)
It will be found that no two men ever go out twice together, and that no
man ever goes out twice in the same boat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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