ljdickey@watmath.UUCP (Lee Dickey) (06/27/83)
Start with several stacks of cards.
Take one card from each stack, and with them, form a new stack.
Repeat the above operation.
For instance, if you start with three stacks each with 2 cards,
2 2 2
you get
1 1 1 3
The next few rounds are:
2 4
1 3 2
2 1 3
1 2 3
1 2 3
1 2 3
We think that if you start with the right number of cards (a triangular
number, k(k+1)/2 )
you always wind up with the numbers 1 2 3 ... .
If you start with anything other than a triangular number
of cards, that you wind up in a cycle.
Lee Dickey
...!decvax!watmath!ljdickey
ljdickey@watmath.UUCP
University of Waterloo.