How can you rearrange checkers pieces in 3 moves to separate white and black?

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In summary, there is a book called "Tricky math" with interesting problems involving 6 checkers pieces, 3 white and 3 black, and a line with 10 slots. The goal is to rearrange the pieces in 3 moves so that all the white pieces are on the left and all the black pieces are on the right. Only 2 adjacent pieces can be moved at a time without changing their order. Fortunately, the solution to this problem follows a symmetrical structure, with the last two moves being a mirror image of each other.
  • #1
lendav_rott
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I have a book called "Tricky math" or something along those lines (not in English) with interesting problems.

There are 6 checkers pieces, 3 white and 3 black.
You have a line with 10 slots numbered 1, 2, 3 .. 10.
The pieces are placed in slots 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 such that 5 is white, 6 black, 7 white, 8 black, 9 white and 10 black.

We are to rearrange the pieces in 3 moves such that all the white pieces are on the left and all the black pieces on the right. We are allowed to only move 2 adjacent pieces at a time Without rearranging their order. Adjacent according to slot numbers, which means not allowed to move, say 6 and 9 if 7 and 8 were empty.
 
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  • #2
Luckily this is not too tricky. Solutions to questions like this one usually have a symmetrical structure. This puzzle is no exception. The last two moves mirror each other.
 

Related to How can you rearrange checkers pieces in 3 moves to separate white and black?

1. How many checkers pieces are in a standard set?

There are 24 checkers pieces in a standard set, with 12 pieces for each player.

2. How many squares are on a standard checkers board?

A standard checkers board has 64 squares, with 8 rows and 8 columns.

3. What is the value of each checker piece in terms of points?

In traditional checkers, all pieces have the same value and are worth 1 point each.

4. Can a checker piece move backwards?

In most versions of checkers, a checker piece can only move diagonally forward. However, in some variations, such as the International or Russian version, pieces can also move backwards.

5. How many checker pieces can fit on one square?

Only one checker piece can fit on each square on a standard checkers board. However, if a piece is "kinged" or crowned, it can stack on top of another piece of the same color.

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