Ponder This

June 2000

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Ponder This Challenge:

Two players play a game.

They start with an unlimited supply of coins, which have denominations 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 cents. They take turns placing a coin into a pot, which is intially empty.

There is a target amount: $6.78 or 678 cents. The amount in the pot may not exceed this target.

The winner is the player who puts in the last coin, reaching the target.

Who wins?

We will post the names of those who submit a correct, original solution! If you don't want your name posted then please include such a statement in your submission!

We invite visitors to our website to submit an elegant solution. Send your submission to the ponder@il.ibm.com.

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Challenge: 06/01/00 @ 11:48 AM EDT
Solution: 07/05/00 @ 1:00 PM EDT
List Updated: 06/27/00 @ 1:00 PM EDT

People who answered correctly:

Samantha Levin (6.2.2000 @ 11:23 AM EDT)

Tim Edmonds (6.2.2000 @ 4:37 PM EDT)
Ziad Mokhtar (6.2.2000 @ 5:10 PM EDT)
Ed Severn (6.2.2000 @ 5:45 PM EDT)
Jessica Lang Jones (6.2.2000 @ 10:37 PM EDT)
Mohit Sauhta (6.4.2000 @ 8:28 PM EDT)
Youngchul Park (6.5.2000 @ 3:41 PM EDT)
Bill Daly (6.5.200 @ 5:02 PM EDT)
Edward Lee (6.6.2000 @ 7:28 AM EDT)
msk (6.6.2000 @ 10:15 AM EDT)
Vincent Menu (6.7.2000 @ 7:23 PM EDT)
Ming Song (6.8.2000 @ 3:19 AM EDT)
Olivier Miakinen (6.8.2000 @ 9:42 AM EDT)
Jacques Willekens (6.9.2000 @ 7:54 AM EDT)
Tal Weiss (6.11.2000 @ 5:20 AM EDT)
Al Zimmermann (6.11.2000 @ 2:06 PM EDT)
Brian Schroeder (6.11.2000 @ 4:40 PM EDT)
Amos Guler (6.12.2000 @ 1:38 PM EDT)
Ilan Algor (6.13.2000 @ 4:50 AM EDT)
Alamuru Krishna (6.13.2000 @ 4:15 PM EDT)
Prithu Tiwari (6.14.2000 @ 12:25 AM EDT)
Howard Kaye (6.14.2000 @ 11:21AM EDT)
Markus G. Kuhn (6.14.2000 @ 1:40 PM EDT)
Jimmy Hu (6.14.2000 @ 2:45 PM EDT)
Philippe Fondanaiche (6.14.2000 @ 2:51 PM EDT)
Mark Lomas (6.15.2000 @ 4:07 AM EDT)
Bill Schwennicke (6.15.2000 @ 4:19 PM EDT)
Rocke Verser (6.16.2000 @ 5:08 AM EDT)
Shmuel Spiegel (6.16.2000 @ 12:04 AM EDT)
Paul Kahler (6.19.2000 @ 12:02 AM EDT)
Antoniu Melica (6.19.2000 @ 10:36 AM EDT)
Ether Jones (6.19.2000 @ 1:12 PM EDT)
Achava Nakhash (6.19.2000 @ 3:14 PM EDT)
Héctor Ferazza (6.19.2000 @ 5:25 PM EDT)
Christie Bolton (6.21.2000 @ 5:10 PM EDT)
DJ Chen (6.23.2000 @ 3:16 PM EDT)
Chris Keane (6.26.2000 @ 7:42 AM EDT)
Ionel Santa (6.29.2000 @ 3:38 AM EDT)

Attention: If your name is posted here and you wish it removed please send email to the ponder@il.ibm.com.