The four 4's game. Put on your thinking caps.

[Matt Grunau]

We used to have a contest when I was in middle school. The contest was to see who could get all integers from 1-20 using 4 combinations of 4 in the shortest time. The rules were you can use negative -4, and 4 and simple algebraic formulas you can use square root or to x power, to solve 0 - 20 answers. You cant use any other numbers, and you have to use all 4 fours.

Examples

0 (4-4)+(4-4) = 0 Or, (4%4)x4-4 = 0

1 (4-4)+(4%4) = 1

There are 3 numbers that a particularly difficult.

Let the game begin.

I gave 2 answers, but there are probably additional variations of each.


Yes, this is the kind of thing I do in my spare time.

Yes, I know what that makes me. :embarasse

[Cineaste]

damm, my brain just went soft when you mentioned algebra, I hated school since first grade and math since before first grade.

pretty cool stuff though. :)

[Kirk Gillock]

You lost me at "We used to have a contest..."

[TC]

02) (4/4)+(4/4)=2
03) (4+4+4)/4=3
05) (4*4+4)/4=5
08) (4-4)+(4+4)=8
12) 4+4+4-4= 12
15) (4*4)-(4/4)=15
16) 4*4*4/4=16

...now back to the tennis game.

EDIT: Damn, this is waaaay too addictive.

[Ben Sliker]

09) 4+(4/4)+4=9

... and my brain exploded ... but i feel slightly smarter.

[TC]

07) (-4/4)+4+4=7

[J.R. Hudson]

For fucks sake.

[Jeremy Ordan]

For poo poos sake.

Echo

[CallaghanFilms]

freakin left-hemisphere- brainers:evil:

[Daniel Skubal]

17) 4x4-(-4/4)

[Daniel Skubal]

20) (4+(4/4))x4

[Daniel Skubal]

That leaves us with 4 6 10 11 13 14 18 19 left to solve. lol

[Rich Lee]

i hate math

[MarcusX]

4) (4-4)x4+4
6) (4+4)/4+4

[Matt Grunau]

Damnit. I just had one

[Daniel Skubal]

10 11 13 14 18 19 left

[Daniel Skubal]

Is it even possible to do all 20?

[Alex DePew]

Seriously, is this possible? I'm working on one right now and I am pretty good at math (if it is true, I may not be as good as I thought!) and I can't get it.

[Matt Grunau]

I'm stuck too. that *&#@! 13 is killing me. I think we should incorporate square root, and root squared and root cubed.



EDIT: First post changed to include them. Let's squash this bastige.

[Blaine]

4 sq - (4-(4/4) = 13

[Alex DePew]

I'm stuck too. that *&#@! 13 is killing me. I think we should incorporate square root, and root squared and root cubed.



EDIT: First post changed to include them. Let's squash this bastige.

How did you get this? I figured this was something that was directly copied from a book or the internet or something else where the solution was possible using the exact paramaters of the problem? You didn't just come up with this, right and not know the paramaters are correct, right?.:violent5:

[Daniel Skubal]

haha that's cheating so bad allowing the square roots, if anything 4th roots should have been allowed only (it still doesn't get you anywhere really.)

[Daniel Skubal]

18) (4x4)+4-sqrt4

19) 4^2+4-(4/4)

14) 4/4(4^2-sqrt4)

10) (4+4+4)-sqrt4

11) (4^2-(4/4))-4

Done.

[Daniel Skubal]

shite. 12's math was wrong. had to do it again. lol

12) (4+4+sqrt4+sqrt4)

__________________


0 (4-4)+(4-4)
1 (4-4)+(4/4)
2 (4/4)+(4/4)
3 (4+4+4)/4
4 (4-4)x4+4
5 (4x4+4)/4
6 ((4+4)/4)+4
7 (-4/4)+4+4
8 (4-4)+(4+4)
9 4+4+(4/4)
10 (4+4+4)-sqrt4
11 (4^2-(4/4))-4
12 (4+4+sqrt4+sqrt4)
13 4^2-(4-(4/4)
14 4/4(4^2-sqrt4)
15 (4x4)-(4/4)
16 4x4x4/4
17 4x4-(-4/4)
18 (4x4)+4-sqrt4
19 4^2+4-(4/4)
20 (4+(4/4))x4

[Blaine]

13 sqrt4-(4-(4/4)
That should be 4^2-(4-(4/4)) :)

[KennyJay]

Hey Rap, to be truthful I lost all interest in high school thanks to algebra.

[Matt Grunau]

How did you get this? I figured this was something that was directly copied from a book or the internet or something else where the solution was possible using the exact paramaters of the problem? You didn't just come up with this, right and not know the paramaters are correct, right?.:violent5:



No, I didn't just come up with this. Math games of this sort are quite common. I simply expanded the setting. Just wanted to see what folks would come up with.


kenny, does that include high school cheerleaders?

[Alex DePew]

No, I didn't just come up with this. Math games of this sort are quite common. I simply expanded the setting. Just wanted to see what folks would come up with.


kenny, does that include high school cheerleaders?

No prob. I did a ton of these back in the day. It was nice to stretch out a dusty portion of my brain. I guess by expanding the setting a few were not possible. But it's all cool essein.

And my high school cheerleaders weren't all that hot. We didn't have a football team or a field, so I guess that was why. I went to The Bronx High School of Science. Damn did I want to go to the Bronx High School of Hot Girls.

[Matt Grunau]

Cool beans. That kind if thinking and problem solving actually helps quite a bit when dealing with technical issues in any kind of Production.

It's actually quite close to some of the ways you have to think about achieving "X" with a limited quantity of what you have. That ceratinly translates to video editing/compositing, and I'm sure lighting and audio as well. To say nothing of 3D.

:)


Next round . . .

Find the equasion that is universal for converting "X" sided 2D shapes into their appropriate "X" sided 3D shapes . . .


or, find the equasion for converting beats per minute into microseconds to be plugged into delay effects, depending on the effect insance, say a delay on the half or quarter beat. That's a doozy. hmmm . . .



just kidding . . . Great job all.

[Daniel Skubal]

That should be 4^2-(4-(4/4)) :)

woops LOL Yes. Fixed.