[AccessD] OT: Friday Puzzles

Actually, it said everyone was shot until it got down to one person.  So
if there were two people, the first person was shot, and the last person
would then be the lone survivor.

But if you look at the pattern, the 'safe' person, for each round is a
power of 2.  This makes sense, if you think about this problem in a
binary fashion.

You are getting rid of the first person, then every other person, which
means every odd number.  

So let's take 64 people, the last person would be 00100000 and the first
person would be 00000001, and every combination in between (except, the
person in position 64 would be the only one with a 1 in the 64 column,
and all zeros).  By removing all the numbers, you are removing any
number with a 1 in the 1's position.  'renumbering' them, in binary, is
just removing the first digit (the 1's position).  Ie, instead of
00100000 you would now have 0010000, and every combination in between
10000 and 00001.  When you get to the second to last 'round', you will
have one of two scenarios:

10 and 01

Or 

11,10, and 01

Either way, 01 is gone (as the first person) and in the case of three
numbers left, the third person is shot too (cause it's an odd number,
when renumbered).

So the surviving person, no matter how many there are, is the highest
multiple of 2 without going over.

Ie, the 64th person would survive in cases where you had 64 people to
127 people.  128th position would survive from 128 people to 255 people.
512th person would survive with 512 people to 1023 people, and so on.

Boy, this was a fun riddle, still haven't heard if I was right on the
second one!

Drew

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Perry Harold
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 3:43 PM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Friday Puzzles

If the first one is always shot it doesn't matter what position.  When
it 
gets down to only one standing if you start with the first that one is
shot 
as well.  Being in any other position would only prolong the angony.

Perry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Drew Wutka" <DWUTKA at marlow.com>
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" 
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Friday Puzzles


> First round survivors:
>
>
2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,30,32,34,36,38,40,42,44,46,48,50,5
>
2,54,56,58,60,62,64,66,68,70,72,74,76,78,80,82,84,86,88,90,92,94,96,98,1
>
00,102,104,106,108,110,112,114,116,118,120,122,124,126,128,130,132,134,1
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