| Title: | Mathematics at DEC |
| Moderator: | RUSURE::EDP |
| Created: | Mon Feb 03 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2083 |
| Total number of notes: | 14613 |
There is a famous problem in computer science called the "Towers
of Hanoi." Is the Hanoi referred to
1. A Greek placename, actually spelled "Hano�," with a
dieresis over the "i"?
2. The capital of Vietnam?
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 810.1 | CHOVAX::YOUNG | Back from the Shadows Again, | Thu Jan 07 1988 12:57 | 2 | |
As the problem comes from (I believe) a Buddhist legend, I would
suspect that it is in fact refering to the Capital of Vietnam.
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| 810.2 | N Vietnam | COMICS::DEMORGAN | Richard De Morgan, UK CSC/CS | Tue Feb 16 1988 10:14 | 8 |
It does indeed refer to the capital of N Vietnam. If I recall the
details, the legend refers to a sect of monks who laboured underground
transferring the disks (14 deep, if I recall, made of gold) between
diamond pins some 10" high. When they completed their task, the
world was suppose to end. For reference, try James R Newman's "The
World of Mathematics", or E T Bell's "The Last Problem". As using
n disks requires 2^n - 1 moves, the world probably has a bit to
run yet :-)
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