Problema Solution

The Game of Take

The Game of Take is a game played by two players with two

heaps of coins (or stones or beans). The rules of the game are

as follows:

(1) The players alternate turns (let us call the player who

makes the 1st move I and then call the other player II).

(2) Each player, when it is his or her turn, selects one of the

heaps and removes at least one of the coins from the

selected heap. (The player may take all of the coins from

the selected heap, thereby leaving an empty heap, which is

now \out of play.")

The last player to make a move|that is, the player who takes

the last coin(s)|is the winner.

Question: Can the winner be determined right at the start of

the game? Justify your answer.

Answer provided by our tutors

The Game of Take

The Game of Take is a game played by two players with two

heaps of coins (or stones or beans). The rules of the game are

as follows:

(1) The players alternate turns (let us call the player who

makes the 1st move I and then call the other player II).

(2) Each player, when it is his or her turn, selects one of the

heaps and removes at least one of the coins from the

selected heap. (The player may take all of the coins from

the selected heap, thereby leaving an empty heap, which is

now \out of play.")

The last player to make a move|that is, the player who takes

the last coin(s)|is the winner.

Question: Can the winner be determined right at the start of

the game? Justify your answer.

Yes, it can be determined if you know the number of stones or coins. if the number is even then player 2 will win and if it is odd, then player 1 will win..