If we assume that 11 meters = 12 yards, what is the smallest integral number of meters that can be converted to its equivalent integral number of yards simply by rearranging the order of the digits of the number?

What if we do the same with the actual exact equivalents?: 1143 meters = 1250 yards.

Then try your hand at 228 solar months = 235 lunar months (the 19-year Metonic cycle).

These problems yield to simple computerized solutions (in pseudo code)

vary x from 1 by 1 until x = 100000 or solved

m = x * 11 (or 1143) (or 228)

y  = x * 12 (or 1250) (or 235)

test for same digits in m and y: if so set solved-flag

loop

(a) 1683 m = 1836 yds

(b) 2823750 yds = 2582037 m (official dn: 1 yd = 0.9144 m)

(c) 3493980 solar = 3389904 lunar

(I would rate this only a 1 or 2 by computer, but perhaps more if an "inference-only" method were shown.  The effective program solutions could not be much simpler.)

Posted by badger on 2007-10-11 11:25:40