Illuminations: Even and Odd

Even and Odd

Number 8 checkers and pile them up as shown. Use a minimum of moves to shift checkers 1, 3, 5, and 7 from the center to the “Odd” side circles and checkers 2, 4, 6, and 8 to the “even” side circles. To move, shift the top checker from one pile to the top of another. It is against the rules to put a checker with a higher number on a checker with a lower one, or to place an odd-numbered check on an even0numbered checker or vice versa.

Thus, you can put checker 1 on 3, 3 on 7, or 2 on 6 – not 3 on 1 or 1 on 2.

Puzzle provided by Kordemsky: The Moscow Puzzles (Dover)

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National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Math Topics

Deductive Reasoning & Logical Thinking, Types of Numbers (Odd, Even, Prime, Composite)

K-6, Middle School, High School

5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Even and Odd Numbers, Math Puzzles

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