39,429 research outputs found
Diagonal Peg Solitaire
We study the classical game of peg solitaire when diagonal jumps are allowed.
We prove that on many boards, one can begin from a full board with one peg
missing, and finish with one peg anywhere on the board. We then consider the
problem of finding solutions that minimize the number of moves (where a move is
one or more jumps by the same peg), and find the shortest solution to the
"central game", which begins and ends at the center. In some cases we can prove
analytically that our solutions are the shortest possible, in other cases we
apply A* or bidirectional search heuristics.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure
Solving Triangular Peg Solitaire
We consider the one-person game of peg solitaire on a triangular board of
arbitrary size. The basic game begins from a full board with one peg missing
and finishes with one peg at a specified board location. We develop necessary
and sufficient conditions for this game to be solvable. For all solvable
problems, we give an explicit solution algorithm. On the 15-hole board, we
compare three simple solution strategies. We then consider the problem of
finding solutions that minimize the number of moves (where a move is one or
more consecutive jumps by the same peg), and find the shortest solution to the
basic game on all triangular boards with up to 55 holes (10 holes on a side).Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures; published version including comments by John
Beasle
Universities in Arab countries
Half the Arab universitiies in existence today were established after 1970. Enrolment has increased rapidly, leading to overcrowding, unqualified faculty, and insufficient equipment and facilities. Several Arab nations have moved to control (in some cases, to reduce) enrolment. They have done this partly because of the fall in oil revenues, and partly in recognition of the problems related to the rapid growth of the university systems. As student enrolment expanded rapidly, the quality of education suffered and many universities became less attractive to highly trained faculty. This pattern has contributed to the national and regional brain drain. The cost of underwriting university education at a time of slow economic expansion raises the issue of whether it is better to have unemployed high school graduates or unemployed university graduates.Teaching and Learning,Gender and Education,Tertiary Education,Girls Education,Curriculum&Instruction
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