June 2017 - Challenge
This month's challenge involves a game that can be played with seven-digit numbers (leading zeroes are allowed), such as the serial number of a bus ticket, a license plate number in Israel, phone numbers, etc.
To play the game, take the seven-digit number and place the four basic operations (+, -, *, and /) and parentheses around and between the digits, using each digit exactly once (the parentheses and operations can be used more than once). Without changing the order or concatenating two or more digits into a larger number, use the basic operations and parentheses so that the answer of the mathematical equation is exactly 100.
Some seven-digit numbers are solvable, like 3141592 which can be solved as (3*1+4)*(1*5+9)+2 or a single digit change of it 3146592, which can also be solved as 3*((-1)+(-4)/6+5*(9-2)), while other seven-digit numbers simply cannot be solved, such as 0314157.
There are 63 ways to change a single digit in a seven-digit number.
Here's the challenge: Find a seven-digit number that is not solvable, but is made solvable by 62 of the 63 single-digit changes.
Bonus '*' if the number is prime.
Update (5/6): Division by zero is not allowed, but you can use non integers and unary minus (like the example above); and you get a '*' for every prime solution.
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.
If you have any problems you think we might enjoy, please send them in. All replies should be sent to: ponder@il.ibm.com
Challenge:
29/05/2017 @ 12:00 PM EST
Solution:
03/07/2017 @ 12:00 PM EST
List Updated:
03/07/2017 @ 12:00 PM EST
People who answered correctly:
**Robert Gerbicz (29/05/17 07:10 PM IDT)
**Serge Batalov (29/05/17 11:21 PM IDT)
**Uoti Urpala (30/05/17 00:37 AM IDT)
**Bert Dobbelaere (30/05/17 08:41 AM IDT)
*Jens Voss (30/05/17 10:56 AM IDT)
Steven Langerwerf (30/05/17 12:36 PM IDT)
**Yan-Wu He (30/05/17 01:28 PM IDT)
**Daniëlle van den Berg (30/05/17 06:48 PM IDT)
**Alexandr Kozlinskiy (30/05/17 10:39 PM IDT)
**Reiner Martin (31/05/17 01:00 AM IDT)
**Sergey Koposov (31/05/17 03:27 AM IDT)
Oleg Vlasii (31/05/17 08:09 AM IDT)
**Harald Bögeholz (01/06/17 02:31 AM IDT)
*Gary M. Gerken (01/06/17 02:55 AM IDT)
*Shirish Chinchalkar (01/06/17 03:00 AM IDT)
*Andreas Knüpfer (01/06/17 04:30 AM IDT)
*Yuval Snappir (01/06/17 07:00 AM IDT)
**Aviv Nisgav (01/06/17 02:28 PM IDT)
*Paolo Farinelli (02/06/17 12:03 AM IDT)
**Aleksey Nekrasov (02/06/17 02:38 AM IDT)
*Loukas Sidiropoulos (03/06/17 01:54 PM IDT)
**Hugo Pfoertner (03/06/17 04:04 PM IDT)
**Hagen von Eitzen (04/06/17 12:16 AM IDT)
**Florian Fischer (04/06/17 01:55 AM IDT)
**Motty Porat (05/06/17 01:48 AM IDT)
**Nigel Brumpton (05/06/17 08:55 PM IDT)
Fedor Poschmann (06/06/17 11:23 PM IDT)
**Andreas Stiller (09/06/17 02:46 PM IDT)
**Benny Poupko (09/06/17 11:58 PM IDT)
**Leonid Kalmankin (10/06/17 08:31 AM IDT)
**Stéphane Higueret (10/06/17 08:47 PM IDT)
**Rickard Björklund (10/06/17 09:50 PM IDT)
**David Greer (11/06/17 02:47 AM IDT)
**Yurii Lahodiuk (12/06/17 02:08 AM IDT)
**George W. Barnett (12/06/17 03:17 AM IDT)
**Dmitry Kim (14/06/17 03:22 AM IDT)
*Jesse Rearick (14/06/17 05:30 AM IDT)
**Jan Rubak (16/06/17 08:24 PM IDT)
**Peter Gerritson (17/06/17 01:32 AM IDT)
**David F.H. Dunkley (18/06/17 04:08 PM IDT)
*Graham Hemsley (19/06/17 05:04 PM IDT)
**Simo Härkönen (19/06/17 07:13 PM IDT)
**Armin Krauss (19/06/17 10:14 PM IDT)
**Alper Halbutogullari (21/06/17 05:25 AM IDT)
*Nyles Heise (21/06/17 06:59 AM IDT)
*Vladimir Milovanović (21/06/17 03:45 PM IDT)
**Todd Will (22/06/17 04:58 PM IDT)
**Chris Shannon (23/06/17 08:01 AM IDT)
*JJ Rabeyrin (23/06/17 11:44 AM IDT)
**Vladimir Volevich (25/06/17 08:13 PM IDT)
*Dario Serino (28/06/17 04:38 PM IDT)
**Noam & Ayal Zaks (29/06/17 01:01 PM IDT)
**Tyler Mullen (30/06/17 11:08 PM IDT)