Comments on: 16 fun applications of the pigeonhole principle

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:01:22 +0000

Number 13 is subverted by the 15 workout day.

By: john

john — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:12:20 +0000

@bill: Re Problem #7. You need 5 cards to ensure at least 2 are the same suit. You need 14 to ensure you have 1 from at least 2 suits (or at least 2 with the same face value).

By: Gommy

Gommy — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:52:34 +0000

This is hilarious. It made me think alittle mo, however, some of your examples are specifically on America. Some of us are not familiar with that and made us leave without getting the idea

By: TWSB: Holes and the Pigeons that Occupy Them « Le Seul Mot Juste

TWSB: Holes and the Pigeons that Occupy Them « Le Seul Mot Juste — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:21:12 +0000

[...] awesome article entitled “16 Fun Applications of the Pigeonhole Principle” shows some examples of how this idea can be extended to larger numbers—that for any n number [...]

By: Presh Talwalkar

Presh Talwalkar — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:42:07 +0000

Bill: Re Problem #7, the idea is there will be at least two cards of the same suit, for some suit. The first card can be any suit. If the second is the same suit, then you're already done. If not, it must be another suit. The third could match the suit of either the first or second, and again you've found a pair of the same suit. If not, then the third could be a distinct suit. The fourth card too could be the final suit, or else it must match one of the remaining. By the fifth card, however, that card must be one of the four suits you've already picked.