Playing with numbers - Wei-Hwa’s Puzzle Challenge Number 1

Using the PERL code from a previous post. I Changed the numbers to 7-7-3-3 (and 5-5-5-1), executed the code and here are the results.

> perl 7733.pl (Download here)
7*(3+(3/7)) = 24

> perl 5551.pl (Download Here)
5*(5-(1/5)) = 24

Is there a theory for this? Does it work for all numeric combinations?

Improving your Personalized Homepage

Need to get rid of the space between your search bar buttons and modules?

Fig 1: Less space between buttons and modules.

(No distance module)

Caution: The module is hidden. I have not found a way to remove it.

What is that arrow on the left? It’s a minimize/maximize module for all those clogged personalized homepages.

Fig 2: Maximized modules (Left). Minimized modules (Right)

It is a great module. It remembers the last state (min/max) of the modules. Here is the module's web site

(Update: Use to be customize Modules.xml. Per request by the module owner, it is now collapseModules.xml):

Collapse Modules web site

(Min/Max module)

All we need is a module for tabbed pages. I think it would be relatively easy to create. Notice that developer’s module lists your modules (except Google’s). If somebody can figure out a way to take that list and organize it into rendered tabs. Volunteers?

Solution for puzzle 1 in code.

It was only a matter of time before a programmer writes code to solve the puzzle. I found a site that wrote code in TCL and a link to code written in PERL. I looked through the code. Very nicely done!

Here is the blog where the code is published

Here is the TCL code

Here is the PERL code

Keep up the good work.

No sign of new puzzles...

Little is known about Wei-Hwa’s Puzzle Challenges since its launch on May 26 2006. Given it was Memorial weekend, I anticipated a new puzzle today (May 30 2006) at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (Based on pervious Da Vinci Code puzzles release time). Minor disappointment.

Lots of us enjoyed the Da Vinci Code Quest puzzles and we can only hope to get the quality/standard of puzzles that mimic those of the Da Vinci Quest puzzles.

All that said, what do you all think?
Should it be released on a daily basis?
Should there be a specific time for the releases?
Should it be released on weekends?
Should there be a goal/incentive/prize for solving the puzzles?
Should puzzles make use of Google services?
Should I have more “Should” questions?

Leave some comments on “What should Google do to make this challenge exciting?”. If anyone has any info/tips on what is going to happen with the challenge, send me an email.

Some research:
Based on this statement on the Google Module,

While we're still getting some fancier stuff ready behind the scenes

We can only assume that the puzzle project is going through a fancy makeover. Currently, there are 2 ways (or URLs) to add the module.

One using the old Da Vinci Code module:

http://www.google.com/ig/modules/builtin_davinci.xml

And this module:

http://weihwa.feedback.googlepages.com/20060526.xml

Which ultimately links to this web site that is hosting the module.

http://weihwa.feedback.googlepages.com/

Stay tuned for more exciting things to come!

Launch of Wei-Hwa's Puzzle Challenges by Google

Today is the launch of Wei-Hwa's Puzzle Challange on Google's Personalized Homepage. This will be a portal to dicuss the hints, methods, answers, and solution to the puzzles

For all of you who do not have a Google Personalized Homepage, click on the add to Google link below. If you have a Google Personalized Homepage, add the module by clicking the link below.

Here is the Google Puzzle Challenge (GPC) number 1.

Question:

Using the numbers 3, 3, 8, 8 (in any order), make a mathematical expression that equals 24. You can use only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (and parentheses), but in any order you wish. Note that you have to use all four numbers; otherwise 3 times 8 would be valid -- and that wouldn't be much of a puzzle, would it?

Solution:

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/64637.html

http://plus.maths.org/issue14/puzzle/solution.html

Good Luck.

PS: Feel free to discuss it by leaving comments.