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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!mcvax!vu44!botter!ark!coeve
From: coeve@ark.UUCP (Dirk  van Coeverden)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Master Mind Problem
Message-ID: <436@ark.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 18:12:15 EST
Article-I.D.: ark.436
Posted: Wed Feb 20 18:12:15 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Feb-85 04:49:03 EST
Organization: VU Informatica, Amsterdam
Lines: 46

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Reply-To: coeve@ark.UUCP (Mike Jonkmans)
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Organization: VU Informatica, Amsterdam
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[Not as easy at it looks like!]
I will describe the game of master mind to you first :

There are four places in which six possible colors can be
        placed these are not known to you (same colors are not allowed
        for simplicity's sake).

You can guess a possible solution by naming four colors.

After you have guessed you get the following information :
A black point for each right color at the right place,
        a white point for each right color but at a wrong place,
        a zero for every other color.

This will continue until you have guessed all four colors at the
        right place.

As the solution can't have two the same colors it is possible
        for you to guess for example four red (but you will be
        sure then not to have found the right solution).

My question to you all is who knows the best strategy and
        in how many turns can you find the solution by using
        this strategy (So I am asking for the minimum number
        of turns in which you always get the right answer).


                                Mike Jonkmans
                                {seismo|decvax|philabs}!mcvax!vu44!ark!coeve
                                                or
                                coeve@ark.UUCP

P.S.    I ask you this question, because I can't solve it
                myself (and so the whole faculty of physics)
                and because sombody somewhat rudely
                stated that it always can be done within five
                turns which I believe but it is only empirical.