266.--A TENNIS TOURNAMENT.

From Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney.

Call the men A, B, D, E, and their wives a, b, d, e. Then they may play as follows without any person ever playing twice with or against any other person:--

First Court. Second Court. 1st Day | A d against B e | D a against E b 2nd Day | A e " D b | E a " B d 3rd Day | A b " E d | B a " D e

It will be seen that no man ever plays with or against his own wife--an ideal arrangement. If the reader wants a hard puzzle, let him try to arrange eight married couples (in four courts on seven days) under exactly similar conditions. It can be done, but I leave the reader in this case the pleasure of seeking the answer and the general solution.

Read and discuss in amphi

A place to think
Built for depth, not dopamine. Come thinkwith us
explore the betaDither Right Arrow
FIND US
amphi.
266.--A TENNIS TOURNAMENT.: Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney | amphi