Question

Is 4-heap Nim with heaps of sizes 22, 19, 14, and 11 balanced or unbalanced? Player I's first move is to remove 6 coins from the heap of size 19. What should player II's first move be?

Answer 1

Answer:

Player II should remove 14 coins from the heap of size 22.

Step-by-step explanation:

To properly answer this this question, we need to understand the principle and what it is exactly is being asked.

This question revolves round a game of Nim

What is a game of Nim: This is a strategic mathematical game whereby,  two opposing sides or opponent take turns taking away objects from a load or piles. On each turn, a player remove at least an object and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap/pile.

Now, referring back to the question, we should first understand that:

                        22₂ = 1 0 1 1 0

                         19₂= 1 0 0 1 1

                         14₂= 0 1 1 1 0

                          11₂= 0 1 0 1 1

and also that the “bit sums” are all even, so this is a balanced game.

However, after Player I removes 6 coins from the heap of size 19, Player II should remove 14 coins from the heap of size 22.