Problem 076

A place to air possible concerns or difficulties in understanding ProjectEuler problems. This forum is not meant to publish solutions. This forum is NOT meant to discuss solution methods or giving hints how a problem can be solved.
Forum rules
As your posts will be visible to the general public you are requested to be thoughtful in not posting anything that might explicitly give away how to solve a particular problem.

This forum is NOT meant to discuss solution methods for a problem.

In particular don't post any code fragments or results.

Don't start begging others to give partial answers to problems

Don't ask for hints how to solve a problem

Don't start a new topic for a problem if there already exists one


See also the topics:
Don't post any spoilers
Comments, questions and clarifications about PE problems.
Post Reply
flOvermind
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 10:52 pm

Problem 076

Post by flOvermind »

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I found an error in the description to problem 76:

According to the description, there are 6 different ways to represent 5 as a sum. Assuming this is true, this means that the "5" itself is not included, or, in other words, a sum of a single term should not be considered. Otherwise there would be 7 different ways to represent 5...

But in the accepted solution, the sum containing only the single term "100" seems to be included in the count...
Robert_Gerbicz
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 2:44 pm

Re: Error in Problem 76

Post by Robert_Gerbicz »

The problem's description is good.
flOvermind
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 10:52 pm

Re: Error in Problem 76

Post by flOvermind »

Could you please clarify?

I mean, the question in itself is definitely ambigous. Is 5 = 5 considered a valid sum or not? Unlike in some other problems, that's not explicitly stated here.

If I look at the example, this leads to the conclusion that 5 = 5 is not considered a valid sum, otherwise the correct answer would be 7. So I wrote a program that counts only sums with at least two terms. This program gives an answer that is one less than the expected answer.
Then I wrote a program that does count sums with only one term, and this program gives the correct answer. The program is very simple, and I tested it with various different small examples, so I'm pretty sure it's correct...

If I run my "correct" program (the one that gives the answer that is correct according to your website) with the input 5, the answer is 7, not 6!

Could you write a program that outputs the correct solution to both problems? I highly doubt it...
User avatar
daniel.is.fischer
Posts: 2400
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:15 pm
Location: Bremen, Germany

Re: Error in Problem 76

Post by daniel.is.fischer »

The problem asks "How many different ways can one hundred be written as a sum of at least two positive integers?", so 100 = 100 is not to be counted. Obviously, since the solution to both programmes differs by one, a single output can't be correct for both. I would be interested in seeing your programmes.
Il faut respecter la montagne -- c'est pourquoi les gypaètes sont là.
flOvermind
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 10:52 pm

Re: Error in Problem 76

Post by flOvermind »

At the moment I don't have access to my source code. Once I get home (probably on Friday), I will send you a PM with my source (I assume I shouldn't post the solution to this public forum ;) ).

Btw. the solution differs by exactly one because the difference between the programs is a subtraction by 1 :P
ravish.hacker
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:57 pm

Problem76

Post by ravish.hacker »

[Please note that if you haven't solved the this problem yet please don't read further.]
Well, It seems like the answer is readily available for this question on Wikipedia. I request Project Euler team to please change the question to values other then 100 (may be 105 or something).
User avatar
hk
Administrator
Posts: 12832
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:34 am
Location: Haren, Netherlands

Re: Problem76

Post by hk »

This wouldn't help very much as OEIS has b-files reaching far enough to cover every possible limit.
One can do two things: type in the answer one finds somewhere, or try to think up how it can be done in reasonable time.
This is of course the idea of the problem.
Image
War ruins the life and health of untold numbers of innocent children.
Post Reply