[AccessD] miracle required apparently

[Stuart McLachlan]

I used to do those logic problems all the time with pen and paper.

That one is pretty simple. 
Every value of every parameter is named
A 5x5 grid and simple case of deduction/elimination.
:)

On 18 Oct 2023 at 12:10, Paul Wolstenholme wrote:

> There is a similar problem at
> https://www.rd.com/article/einsteins-riddle-solve-it/
> 
> I had a colleague who wrote code (probably in C or a derivative) that
> took about a day to execute in 1999 and gave an answer. I wrote an
> Access 95 query that took about a second to reveal the possible
> variations that are encompassed in the ambiguities of the problem
> statement.
> 
> My technique was first to form a table of all the permutations (in
> this case of 5 things, meaning 120 entries). Next I formed a query for
> each thing that could lie in any of those permutations. Finally I
> formed a query that started as the cross product of each of those
> queries but was linked according to the rules of the problem. (After
> that I showed the final query's results in a form).
> 
> I expect my former colleague is still plotting his revenge.
> 
> Paul Wolstenholme
> 
> On Wed, 18 Oct 2023 at 08:14, Paul Hartland via AccessD <
> accessd at databaseadvisors.com> wrote:
> 
> > I don't have much time until the weekend for knocking up a quick
> > test, but think that scenario is pretty doable with 4 lots of times,
> > 4 lots of classes, upto 8 participants and not being the same time
> > or class zone more than once
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > On Tue, 17 Oct 2023, 02:22 Steve Schapel, <
> > steve at datamanagementsolutions.biz>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all
> > >
> > > I'm trying to do something that I initially thought would be
> > > reasonably easy.  But alas, so far success has eluded me.  Any
> > > insights accepted with much gratitude!
> > >
> > > The goal:  Assign a number of Participants to a number of
> > > Activities over a number of Sessions.
> > >
> > > Very simple example:
> > >      4 Sessions
> > >      4 Activities
> > >      8 Participants (therefore 2 per Activity)
> > >
> > > To illustrate:
> > > Let's say the sessions are 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm.
> > > Let's sat the activities are chess, tai chi, bowls, diving
> > > Let's say the participants are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H
> > >
> > > The stipulation is that each participant should do each activity
> > > one time.
> > >
> > > By trial and error brute force, I know that there is at least one
> > > solution, namely:
> > >
> > >                       chess       tai chi       bowls       
> > >                       diving
> > >    9am           A & E        C & F        D & G        B & H
> > > 10am           C & G       A & H       B & E         D & F
> > > 11am           D & H      B & G        A & F         C & E
> > > 12pm           B & F       D & E        C & H        A & G
> > >
> > > HOWEVER, I have tried multiple angles of looping through nested
> > > (and sometimes randomised) recordsets based on the core data
> > > elements (sessions, activities, and participants), to write the
> > > assignments to the available slots in a schedule table, and to my
> > > shock (and horror) we always reach the point in the procedure
> > > where it gets stuck, due to trying to assign a participant to two
> > > activities in the same session, but with no valid alternative slot
> > > available.
> > >
> > > There is no problem if the model calls for the super simple option
> > > of only one participant for each activity.  But otherwise, no
> > > dice, so far.
> > >
> > > There MUST be a way to make this work?  Surely?
> > >
> > > Thanks a lot.
> > >
> > > Regards
> > > Steve
> > > --
> >
> >
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