This you will find by no means difficult if you are allowed as many
moves as you like. But the puzzle is to do it in the fewest possible
moves. I will not say what this smallest number of moves is, because the
reader may like to discover it for himself. In writing down your moves
you will find it necessary to record no more than the letters in the
order that they are shifted. Thus, your first five moves might be C, H,
G, E, F; and this notation can have no possible ambiguity. In practice
you only need eight counters and a simple diagram on a sheet of paper.
220.--A LODGING-HOUSE DIFFICULTY.
[Illustration]
The Dobsons secured apartments at Slocomb-on-Sea. There were six rooms
on the same floor, all communicating, as shown in the diagram. The rooms
they took were numbers 4, 5, and 6, all facing the sea. But a little
difficulty arose. Mr. Dobson insisted that the piano and the bookcase
should change rooms. This was wily, for the Dobsons were not musical,
but they wanted to prevent any one else playing the instrument. Now, the
rooms were very small and the pieces of furniture indicated were very
big, so that no two of these articles could be got into any room at the
same time. How was the exchange to be made with the least possible
labour? Suppose, for example, you first move the wardrobe into No. 2;
then you can move the bookcase to No. 5 and the piano to No. 6, and so
on. It is a fascinating puzzle, but the landlady had reasons for not
appreciating it. Try to solve her difficulty in the fewest possible
removals with counters on a sheet of paper.
221.--THE EIGHT ENGINES.
The diagram represents the engine-yard of a railway company under
eccentric management. The engines are allowed to be stationary only at
the nine points indicated, one of which is at present vacant. It is
required to move the engines, one at a time, from point to point, in
seventeen moves, so that their numbers shall be in numerical order round
the circle, with the central point left vacant. But one of the engines
has had its fire drawn, and therefore cannot move. How is the thing to
be done? And which engine remains stationary throughout?
[Illustration]
222.--A RAILWAY PUZZLE.
[Illustration]
Make a diagram, on a large sheet of paper, like the illustration, and
have three counters marked A, three marked B, and three marked C. It
will be seen that at the intersection of lines there are nine
stopping-places, and a tenth stopping-place is attached to the outer
circle like the tail of a Q. Place the three counters or engines marked
A, the three marked B, and the three marked C at the places indicated.
The puzzle is to move the engines, one at a time, along the lines, from
stopping-place to stopping-place, until you succeed in getting an A, a
B, and a C on each circle, and also A, B, and C on each straight line.
You are required to do this in as few moves as possible. How many moves
do you need?
223.--A RAILWAY MUDDLE.
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