The squares of an infinite chessboard are numbered successively as follows: in the lower left corner (first row, first column) we put 0 (zero), and then in every other square we put the smallest nonnegative integer that does not appear to its left in the same row or below it in the same column. See it partially filled:

            |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 5 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 4 | 5 |   |   |   |   |   |   |
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 3 | 2 | 1 |   |   |   |   |   |
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |   |   |   |   | 
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |   |   |   |
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--
            | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |   |   | 
            +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--

Find the law that rules the numbers that fills the chessboard, so that in seconds, you can evaluate the number that is, for example, in the intersection of the 1000th row and the 100th column.

(In reply to re(3): About XOR - only to by Charlie)

Certainly you must be right. As I said, it happens a thousand years ago, and my memory is betraying me.

I have no more records of that time (I had a "green card" too), when we analyzed through all the night, a "dump" of the computer memory, trying to find out why the "0C7" occurred.

Posted by pcbouhid on 2005-10-30 12:29:32