October 2013
<<September October November>>
The number of black squares in the columns are eight distinct numbers in the range between 0 and 8.
The total number of black squares on the board should be divisible by 8, so clearly the missing number is 4.
There are 23 different possible percentages that can be realized on the diagonals:
0,1/8,1/7,1/6,1/5,1/4,2/7,1/3,2/5,3/7,3/8,1/2,5/8,4/7,3/5,2/3,5/7,3/4,4/5,5/6,6/7,7/8, 1.
Since there are only two 8-long diagonals, we cannot get the four possibilities (1/8, 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8). Also we only have four 7-long diagonals, so we cannot get the six possibilities ( 1/7, 2/7, 3/7, 4/7, 5/7, 6/7). Thus the maximum is 19.
One can get it quite easily by playing a little with row and column permutations.
We chose to show Mark Pervovskiy's solution since it was the nicest looking one:
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Thanks to Motty Porat for sending us ten wonderful solutions:
PP P P O O OO N NN N DDD D E E E E RRRR
PP PP O OO O NN NN D DDD EEEE RR RR
PP PP O 0O O NN NN DDDD EEE E RR RR
P PP P O O OO NN NN DDDD EE E E RRRR
PPPP OOO O NNN N D DD D EEEE RR R
PPPP O OO O N NNN D DD D EEEE RR R R
PPPP O OO O NN NN D DD D EEE E RRR R
PPPP O OOO NNN N D D DD E E E E RR RR
T T TT H HH H IIII S SSS
TTTT HH HH III I SSSS
TTTT HH H H II II SSSS
TTTT HH H H I III SSSS
TTTT HH HH I III SSS S
TT T T HH HH I III SSSS
T TT T HH HH I III SS SS
T TTT H HHH II II SSS S
If you have any problems you think we might enjoy, please send them in. All replies should be sent to: ponder@il.ibm.com