Concrete Mathematics - Recurrent Problems - Warmups - (4)

Chapter One: Recurrent Problems

Warmups

4. Are there any starting and ending configurations of n disks on three pegs that are more than 2^n-1 moves apart, under Lucas's original rules?

As we know, the answer to the original "Hanno Towper" problem is 2^n-1, which involve the starting configuration of all n disks in A and the ending configuration of all n disks in B. The proposition argues whether there are any starting and ending configurations of n disks on three pegs that are more than 2^n-1 moves apart. Again here, we can use the induction method, which is as follow:

1) First we prove the basis. When n = 1, we can easily figure out no more starting and ending configurations of 1 disk that are more than 1 move apart.

2) Then we assume that when n = k, the proposition holds, where k >= 1. Now we prove that the proposition holds when n = k+1. ( As usual, we mark n disks as d1, d2, ..., dn in acending order of size) Suppose we start with any configuration T1, and end in any configuration T2. Denote the moves between T1 and T2 is D(T1, T2). 

21) If the peg on which the dk+1 disk lies in T1 is the same as the peg on which the dk+1 disk lies in T2, D(T1, T2) would be no more than 2^k - 1, according to the assumption, for the dk+1 disk need not to be moved.

22) If the peg on which the dk+1 disk lies in T1 is not the same as the peg on which the dk+1 disk lies in T2, suppose dk+1 lies in A in T1 without any speciality, and dk+1 lies in B in T2 without any speciality. So we must make the following process to transfer T1 to T2:

221) We move all other k disks without dk+1 in T1 to peg C, and this step takes no more than 2^k-1 moves according to the assumption.

222) We move the dk+1disk from A to B, and this step takes 1 move.

223) We move all other k disks without dk+1 to their positions in configuration T2, and this step takes no more than 2^k-1 moves according to the assumption.

224) Take moves all above, D(T1, T2) <= (2^k-1 + 2^k-1 + 1) = 2^(k+1) - 1. So the proposition holds when n = k+1.

3) QED.