Replies

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amcsquared, to random
@amcsquared@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Ahhhhhhhhh 754

➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️

https://www.andrewt.net/puzzles/cell-tower/?p=754

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@boxofrain Somehow it was a nice one.

It's a bizarre thing, how some are "nicer" than others. I don't really know what that means ...

CC: @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@amcsquared Pretty sure they are mechanically generated, and some just happen to be "better" for ... reasons.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @andrewt

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@geonz It's the only one I do every day. Sometimes enormously frustrating, often a gentle diversion, and occasionally dead simple.

I've now done them all from number 1 to the present, and I enjoyed the exercise.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@geonz When working through the archive I limited myself to 2 or 3 per day. Now that I've caught up it's one a day. I'd recommend doing a few past ones to get the hang of it, then just going with the daily puzzle.

You can always ask for a hint, though it breaks your streak, and that's why doing past ones for practice can help.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@geonz I don't think I understand what you're proposing. How are you going to look at the answer?

And when you say "delete all data here ..." ... where is "here"?

I must be missing something ... I can't make sense of your post at all.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@geonz Oh, and for what it's worth, I do know how to construct a perfect record and pretend to have a perfect streak.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@geonz Right, so you can solve a puzzle, including today's puzzle, and then delete all data. But then you can never build a streak.

CC: @boxofrain @KarenCampe @amcsquared

ColinTheMathmo, to random
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Add a quantity to itself, then divide by two, and not get back the original!

Tony explains more ...

https://tonysmaths.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-puzzle-from-my-childhood.html

18+ ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@svat I remember one which went something like:

A chemist found that a particular reaction took 1n hour and 20 minutes when they were wearing a particular sweater, but 80 minutes when they weren't ... how is that possible?

d_yellowlees, to random
@d_yellowlees@mastodon.online avatar

Opening your talk?

Skip the waffle. No one cares where you work or how many awards you've worked on.

Grab attention with a hook like, a question, or a bold statement, then get straight to the good stuff.

Remeber - useful AND Interesting

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@d_yellowlees This is absolutely one of the key points ... how to start.

There is some great advice on-line, but your point is exactly on point.

Start with a hook !!!

ColinTheMathmo, to random
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Don't use WhatsApp:

"WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, but user data is not only about messages. That also includes the metadata such as user location, which contacts the user is communicating with, the patterns of when the user is online, etc. This metadata according to your privacy policy is indeed used for targeted ads across Meta services."

-- https://x.com/mysk_co/status/1795210609153163374

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

What's the alternative? I use Signal, and it's nice to see it recommended in the Forbes article.

"But for those worried by user tracking—even from metadata, or those who simply want to use the most private, secure and cleanest platforms, then there’s always a case to switch WhatsApp for Signal."

-- https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2024/05/28/elon-musk-fights-back-as-whatsapp-denies-harvesting-his-data-every-night/

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@laslab It's a source of constant and consistent annoyance to me that circumstances require that I keep a presence in both the FBBBS and FFB.

It's minimal, but for me it is regrettably unavoidable.

vesatimonen, to random
@vesatimonen@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Dissecting a mitre.

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@pbsds Classical dissection problems permit reflections of pieces ... this is a completely valid solution

So the next problem/question is whether there is a solution that does not have any reflections.

CC: @vesatimonen

ColinTheMathmo, to random
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

ARGH !!!

You'd think I'd learn ...

753

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬇️⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️⏹️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️➡️

https://www.andrewt.net/puzzles/cell-tower/?p=753

Current streak: 99 (Einsteinium)

Best streak: 99

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@lgarron It was a good one ...

ColinTheMathmo, (edited ) to random
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

An answer to a 100-year-old puzzle. I say an answer, because there is still part of the question that's open.

EDIT: The author/discoverer is here on Mathstodon!

https://mathstodon.xyz/@vesatimonen

And his post of this:

https://mathstodon.xyz/@vesatimonen/112513347111148808

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@theohonohan We still have the questions of:

(a) can it be done with only 3 pieces (though that feels like an obvious "no");

(b) can be be done in 4 pieces without reflections (still open).

I'm not sure what part of my phrasing you might feel to be "torturous".

ColinTheMathmo,
@ColinTheMathmo@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@theohonohan Ah! Sorry, I mis-interpreted.

And, well, the wording was, in part, intended to prevent people from thinking the matter was fully settled without giving away too much about what is settled, and what exactly might still be unresolved.

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