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by gerdesj 3308 days ago
... and where do you think new hackers come from?

Personally speaking, I have no idea what a GA solver is but my initial solution would involve putting all the pieces on top of each other with their longest edges aligned - that's the maximum. Then we look at the constraints: gravity is a bit of a bugger. etc etc

Keep your card and open your mind. You might be a bright lad but you can still learn to look at problems from a fresh angle. The OP's daughter is in safe hands as far as I can see - she'll learn critical thinking and that is a real gift.

BTW: what is a GA solver?
2 comments
vacri 3308 days ago
> with their longest edges aligned

Longest axes aligned. Longest edges is not the maximum. The article's final solution uses a long axis rather than an edge.

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gerdesj 3308 days ago
Whoops, it is surprisingly easy to think one word and type another.
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jedberg 3308 days ago
> what is a GA solver

Genetic Algorithm solver, I assume.

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gerdesj 3308 days ago
Ok, got it (thanks) - something that would simply follow the rules to find a solution yet be unable to think outside the box. It would, for example, not even "think" of dabbing a small amount of Super-Glue on the edges to achieve the theoretical maximum.

I don't recall the initial problem as stated precluding outside assistance.

My point stands: dad is pushing daughter to use the rather large brain that she has to solve a problem. Whether or not she becomes a Hacker as we know it does not matter - she is learning critical and analytical thought processes through this game.

That is one of the many gifts that any parent can bestow on their progeny and I'm impressed at his approach in this case. Society as a whole becomes a little richer as a whole through these little steps.

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52-6F-62 3307 days ago
Couldn't agree more. It's a lesson in perceiving the largest range of possibilities.

Coming from a family with a less money than average North Americans, this is an especially good lesson. For countries with enormous possibility, but few open paths to achievement, the value of this kind of ability in thinking can not be overstated.

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