Problem Set 1 : Pure Thought

Due 02/03/04



  1.  You have seven glasses on a table, all face down. You are allowed to turn over four glasses at a time, as many times as you want. Is it possible to end up with all seven glasses face up?                         


  2.   How can you distribute 127 single dollar bills among 7 wallets so that any  integer amount from 1 through 127 dollars can be paid without opening the wallets?


  3.   A number of bacteria are placed in a glass. One second later each bacterium divides in two, the next second each of the resulting bacteria divides in two again, etc. After one minute the glass is full. When was the glass half-full?


  4.   Let a1,a2,a3,...,an represent an arbitrary arrangement of the numbers 1,2,3,...,n. Show that, if n is odd, the product:
    ( a1 - 1 ) ( a2 - 2 ) ( a3 - 3 ) ... ( an - n )

    is an even number.


  5.   Mary and Lucille live in two different towns, 50 miles apart. They decided that they want to see each other. So, on Sunday at 10am they take their bicycles and ride toward each other. Their speed is of 25mph. At the same moment,(10am) Mary's pigeon starts flying toward Lucille. The pigeon flies with 60mph. When it gets above Lucille it turns back and flies toward Mary. When it reaches her it turns back and flies toward Lucille, etc. So at 11am all our three characters meet at half-distance. What is the distance traveled by the pigeon?


  6.   You have 9 coins, one of which is counterfeit and weighs less than the others. Use two weighings on a balance with two pans to find the counterfeit coin.


  7.   Determine how many zeros end the number 100 ! .
    (Hint: Remember that 100! = 100x99x98x...x2x1 .)