A Sobering Problem

Anything goes, but keep it seemly...

Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby JPF » Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:03 pm

Leren wrote:earth
....
....
venus (11 steps)
actually there are only 10 steps in your trip!

I have a 9 step trip in my bag. I'll keep it for the moment.

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby David P Bird » Sun Sep 01, 2013 9:26 pm

JPF, thanks for the information and the Wikipedia link.

The supporting Wiki pages make interesting reading too.

It appears that there are two current lists, TWL and Collins, available on-line but the combined list is now only available in print. So it seems contributors should have choice of which word list they use, and get an extra credit if their submissions are acceptable to both.

0 earth
1 garth
2 girth
3 girts
4 girds
5 birds
6 binds
7 bends
8 vends
9 venus (OK according to both)

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby JPF » Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:34 pm

Code: Select all
  earth
1 garth   
2 girth   
3 girts     
4 gists   
5 gests   
6 gents   
7 genus   
8 venus

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Re: Green -> Shoot

Postby David P Bird » Mon Sep 02, 2013 10:36 pm

I've now edited the opening post regarding verifying entries using the UK and USA Scrabble Checkers.

I nearly had that route from Earth to Vesus but didn't think gests was a word!

OK, try this one GREEN -> SHOOT

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby JPF » Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:09 am

Code: Select all
  green
1 greek
2 creek
3 cheek
4 check
5 chock
6 shock
7 shook
8 shoot   8 steps, USA, UK

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Leren » Tue Sep 03, 2013 6:41 am

Code: Select all
0 green
1 greek
2 creek
3 creak
4 croak
5 crook
6 chook
7 shook
8 shoot

Now try getting from WRONG to RIGHT

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby JPF » Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:37 pm

Code: Select all
                                                                             
         wrong                                                                                 
   1     prong                                                                                 
   2     prone                                                                                 
   3     phone                                                                                 
   4     phons                                                                                 
   5     pions                                                                                 
   6     pirns                                                                                 
   7     girns                                                                                 
   8     giros                                                                                 
   9     biros                                                                                 
  10     bigos                                                                                 
  11     bigot                                                                                 
  12     bight                                                                                 
  13     right         US&UK
 


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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Leren » Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:09 am

Code: Select all
 0 wrong
 1 wring
 2 bring
 3 brins
 4 brigs
 5 brogs  #
 6 biogs
 7 bigos
 8 bigot
 9 bight
10 right

All words are in the UK + USA sources, except for brogs, which is in the UK source but not the USA source.

Another word for a brog is a bradawl: an awl used to pierce wood, leather, or other materials for the insertion of brads, screws, etc
and bradawl is in both the UK and USA sources.

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby David P Bird » Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:38 am

Well, I must admit that you two have got me well and truly beat!

Out of 12 link words in your list JPF, I had to look up the meanings of 5 of them! I'm amazed at how much more ignorant I am than I thought.

As I only do these puzzles as away to clear my mind to help me sleep, I can't resort to word lists, so I'm afraid I'll have to bow out gracefully. However I'll enjoy watching you maestros at work if you choose to keep this thread going.

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Smythe Dakota » Sun Sep 08, 2013 3:52 am

How do you get from 12345 to 67890, changing one digit at a time, in such a way that all the intermediate steps are 5-digit prime numbers?

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Leren » Mon Sep 09, 2013 3:48 am

Code: Select all
12345

12343
12143
12113
12119
12109
12107
17107
17807
67807
67801
67891

67890

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the longest path

Postby JPF » Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:04 pm

How far can we go from "mouse" ?

Here is an example with 11 steps:
Code: Select all
     mouse
1    morse
2    marse
3    manse
4    mange
5    manga
6    mania
7    manic
8    malic
9    melic
10   mesic
11   music

Of course, a solution is valid only if there is not a shorter path from "mouse" to the final word.

Only the < UK Collins Scrabble Checker > is acceptable.

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Leren » Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:59 pm

Code: Select all
  mouse

1 douse
2 druse
3 drupe
4 drape
5 crape
6 chape
7 shape
8 shale
9 whale

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby David P Bird » Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:49 pm

Finding the longest unique path is a nice idea. I played with it briefly looking for awkward target words and settled on 'quite' which took me 17 steps to reach. I'm confident that either of you would be able to beat that count, but by how much?

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Re: A Sobering Problem

Postby Leren » Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:40 am

I misunderstood JPFs intention in my previous post. David was on the right track but not quite right in his post.

The longest mouse chain I can come up with is:
Code: Select all
   mouse
 1 rouse
 2 route
 3 routs
 4 touts
 5 toits
 6 doits
 7 duits
 8 quits
 9 quite  **
10 quate
11 quare
12 quark
13 quack

Note that quite is reached after 9 steps.

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