Math Encounters - Proofs from The BOOK (Q&A)

Audience members join Dr. Günter M. Ziegler for a Q&A session after his April, 2012 Math Encounters presentation, "Proofs from the The BOOK."

[buckfunster]

See around 5:28 into the video. The boat sizes/crossing-times are 1, 2, 4, and 8 (not 10). The problem was also to prove that your solution was minimal.... Can you think of a way to show or state that your solution is done in the smallest possible time?

[rcosrpi]

!7 minutes? for the singapore problem
(2, 1) from A to B leave 2
1 from B to A
(10, 4) from A t o B leaves 10 and 4
2 from B to A
(1, 2) from A to B
total time: 2+1+10+2+2=17

[Loomr]

by brute force! List all the possibilities :) ?

[hilberthilbert]

Mr Ziegler is being tortured by silly questions.