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#351 2008-02-14 00:31:15

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Wow, that was lucky. dizzy

If the two bulls are 1 and 3, then the number must be 310, 315, 317, 318 or 319.

If the two bulls are 1 and 4, the number must be 514, 714, 814, 914.

If the two bulls are 3 and 4, then the number can only be 324 (since it must incorporate a cow from the first guess).

So there are just 10 possibilities left. I’ll let someone else make the next guess. big_smile

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#352 2008-02-15 15:37:51

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Close, so close...

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#353 2008-02-15 15:55:56

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Oh well … Guess 3: 324 tongue

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#354 2008-02-15 16:00:47

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

What made you think that?:P

Last edited by JohnnyReinB (2008-02-15 16:08:43)

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#355 2008-02-15 16:16:08

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Well, Guess 3: 324: 3B big_smile

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#356 2008-02-16 00:51:09

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Yay! Well, 324 looked different from the other nine potential candidates and thought I’d try that. tongue

Now I have one myself. Guess away! big_smile

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#357 2008-02-16 01:56:56

mathsyperson
Moderator
Registered: 2005-06-22
Posts: 4,900

Re: Cow Bull 1

I have a strategic question. What's better: a low expected value of possible answers, or a low upper bound for possible answers? (eg. in the last game, Jane got 228 possible answers after the first guess, etc.)

Putting a 0 in your first guess of the game means that you'll only ever get 210 possible answers left after your guess is responded to, but as we saw, a guess without a 0 can return 228 possibles if you're unlucky.
However, non-zeroed guesses will get a lower amount of possible answers, in general.

Anyway,

Guess 1: 123

Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.

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#358 2008-02-16 02:04:13

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Well, I didn’t think of that. dizzy

Guess#1: 123 – 1c

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#359 2008-02-16 16:13:32

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess 2: 345

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#360 2008-02-16 16:46:58

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 123 – 1c
Guess#2: 345 – 1c

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#361 2008-02-16 19:20:02

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess #3: 637

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#362 2008-02-17 01:06:44

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 123 – 1c
Guess#2: 345 – 1c
Guess#3: 637 – nothing

PS: At this point, the possibilities should have been whittled down to just 30 candidates. smile

Last edited by JaneFairfax (2008-02-17 02:59:31)

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#363 2008-02-17 20:09:06

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess #3:451

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#364 2008-02-18 00:10:52

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

That’s Guess #4, not #3. In any case, you know it can’t be right because Guess #2 has only 1 cow. shame However

Guess#1: 123 – 1c
Guess#2: 345 – 1c
Guess#3: 637 – nothing
Guess#4: 451 – 1b 1c

PS: By this time, the possibilities should have been narrowed down to just 9. In particular, one digit is definitely known to be in the number.

Last edited by JaneFairfax (2008-02-18 00:16:56)

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#365 2008-02-20 23:58:16

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

I'm not good at this smile

Guess #5:419

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#366 2008-02-21 00:17:56

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 123 – 1c
Guess#2: 345 – 1c
Guess#3: 637 – nothing
Guess#4: 451 – 1b 1c
Guess#5: 419 – 1c

By now, the possibilities should be down to just 2 – yes, only 2 logically possible candidates remain! Getting easier and easier. big_smile

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#367 2008-02-21 05:03:52

mathsyperson
Moderator
Registered: 2005-06-22
Posts: 4,900

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess 6: 5 [floor(ran#*2)*8] 1

I want a calculator to decide whether we win instead of me. tongue

Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.

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#368 2008-02-21 05:25:25

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Very clever. neutral

All right, it’s obviously clear that the two possibilities are 501 or 581, and it’s 50–50 whether you finish the game in 6 or 7 guesses, so I might as well tell you the answer now. It’s 581. I chose this number because it is the Köchel number of one of my favourite works by Mozart: his Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings. ThumbsUp.gif

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#369 2008-02-22 17:55:07

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Anyone is welcome to be the one who gives the number!!!

Since no one did, can I have another turn?

Guess away!

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#370 2008-02-22 20:58:17

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 952 smile

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#371 2008-02-22 21:33:06

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

1: 952: 2c

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#372 2008-02-22 22:23:57

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 952 – 2c

Guess#2: 297

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#373 2008-02-24 22:27:25

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 952 – 2c

Guess#2: 297 - 2c

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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#374 2008-02-24 22:48:07

JaneFairfax
Member
Registered: 2007-02-23
Posts: 6,868

Re: Cow Bull 1

This whittles it dramatically down to just 7 possibilities! big_smile

If the cows are 2, 5 in #1 and 2, 7 in #2, the number is 725.

If the cows are 5, 9 in #1 and 7, 9 in #2, the number is 579.

If the cows are 2, 9 in both guesses, the number can be: 129 329 429 629 829

Guess#3: 829 smile

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#375 2008-02-24 22:53:54

JohnnyReinB
Member
Registered: 2007-10-08
Posts: 453

Re: Cow Bull 1

Guess#1: 952 – 2c

Guess#2: 297 - 2c

Guess#3: 829 - 2b

Nice.

"There is not a difference between an in-law and an outlaw, except maybe that an outlaw is wanted" wink

Nisi Quam Primum, Nequequam

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