By Chip McDaniel, AutomationDirect
Robotic Shuffle
The puzzle factory has a grid of 49 robotic work cells, but only 10 robots are currently installed as shown in the illustration below. One morning the eccentric factory owner declares that three (and only 3) of the robots should be moved to new work cells, such that the robots will be aligned into five rows, with four robots in each row. Can you find a way to achieve her whimsical placement request?
Thirteenth Squaring
Cutting only along the grid lines, what is the smallest number of square pieces into which you can dissect this image?
The largest number possible is 169 of course, where all the small squares are cut apart. But we are looking for the smallest number. Another approach might be to cut out a large 12×12 square, then cut the remainder into 25 little squares for a total of 26. That’s certainly better than 169, but it can be done with far fewer. Give it a try!
Cut the Cable
Four automation firms along with an engineer from each firm went shopping for cable. Each company bought twice as many sections of cable as their engineer, and each purchaser bought as many sections of cable as the number of dollars paid for each section. Acme spent $76 more than Globex; Dave bought three sections less than Standard; Alice bought two sections more than Fred, who spent $48 less than xCel. What company does Jane work for?
Scroll down for the solutions!
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Robotic Shuffle Solution
Thirteenth Squaring Solution
Cut the Cable Solution
