The
puzzle was invented by French mathematician Édouard Lucas in
1883. Move the stack of disks from the left to the right in the
optimal(fewest) number of moves. The exercise may be named after a
light tower in Hanoi, then part of French Indochina. Another influence
is a legend of three posts in a temple of Brahma surrounded by golden
disks. Acting according to ancient prophecy, the priests have been
moving the
disks and when the last move of the puzzle is
completed, the world will end. The puzzle is therefore also known as
the Tower of Brahma puzzle. It's unknown whether Lucas invented this
legend or was inspired by it. The Tower of Hanoi is a problem often
used to teach programming as an example of a simple recursive
algorithm. There are many variations on the story. | back | more on the Math
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