Puzzles/POY 2008

Puzzle of the year 2008: find phrases that generate each number i.100 , making no use of

• digits other than 2 0 0 8 in sequence
•  _ and __ and _. as numbers
• letters in numeric constants (e.g. 200r8 for 25 is prohibited)
• literal strings
• ?. or ?

The number of words in each phrase is to be minimized. (Word count is according to #;:y ). Where there are multiple phrases for the same number with the same number of words, phrases with fewer essential characters are preferred.

Solutions:

 0  /: 2008
 1  * 2008
 2  2: 008
 3  >. 2.008
 4  # 2 0 0 8
 5  p: 2: 008
 6  ! >. 2.008
 7  <. ^. 2008
 8  {: 200 8
 9  # C. 20 08
10  +/ 2 008
11  # #: 2008
12  #. 2 008
13  >: #. 2 008
14  <. %: 200.8
15  >. %: 200.8
16  #. 2 00 8
17  >: #. 2 00 8
18  #. |. 2 008
19  <: <. 20.08
20  {. 20 08
21  >. 20.08
22  >: >. 20.08
23  p: {: 200 8
24  #. 2 0 0 8
25  200 % 8
26  -/ p: 2 0 08
27  ^~ # 20 0 8    or  2 #. p: 00 8
28  2 ! 008
29  #. <: 20 _08
30  #. |. _2 00 8
31  <: #. 20 _08
32  #. 20 _08
33  #. p: 2 008
34  #. |. 2 00 8
35  #. >: 20 _08
36  2 ! _008
37  p: # #: 2008
38  +: <: <. 20.08
39  #. >: 2 0 0 8
40  20 *. 08
41  >. +: 20.08
42  +: >. 20.08
43  # i: >. 20.08  or  >. ^. ! 20.08
44  <. %: 2008
45  >. %: 2008
46  >: >. %: 2008
47  <: #. 20 08
48  #. 20 08
49  >: #. 20 08
50  200 % -:8
51  #. >: 20 08
52  #. |. 20 0 8
53  p: >. %: 200.8
54  <. ^ # 2 0 0 8
55  >. ^ # 2 0 0 8
56  >. ^ +: 2.008
57  #. /: 2 # 0 0 8
58  /:&.#: 20.08
59  p: #. 2 00 8
60  #. 20 >. 0 8
61  p: >: #. 2 00 8
62  #. |.  _2 0 0 8
63  <. o. 20.08
64  >. o. 20.08
65  #. <: 20 0 _8
66  #. |. 2 0 0 8
67  #. >: +: 20 _08
68  #. 20 + 0 8
69  #. <: *: 2 008
70  +: #. >: 20 _08
71  <: #. 20 0 _8
72  #. 20 0 _8
73  p: <. 20.08
74  #. <: <: 20 0 8
75  #. p: 2 0 0 8
76  >: #. p: 2 0 0 8
77  #. |. >: _2 0 0 8
78  #. , q: 2 008
79  p: >. 20.08
80  #. *: 2 00 8
81  #. <: 20 0 8
82  # , i: 20 08
83  p: >. >: 20.08
84  20 + *: 08
85  >: 20 + *: 08
86  <: <: #. 20 0 8
87  <: #. 20 0 8
88  #. 20 0 8
89  >: #. 20 0 8
90  +: >. %: 2008
91  # i: >. %: 2008
92  -: #. |. 200 _8
93  #. <: +: 20 08
94  -/ p: 20 0 8
95  #. >: 20 0 8
96  #. +: 20 08
97  p: #. 2 0 0 8
98  +/ p: 20 0 8
99  <: -: <. 200.8

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See also

• Puzzle of the Year 1996
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2005
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2006
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2007
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2008
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2009
  
• Puzzle of the Year 2010
  

Discussion

• Perhaps next year's puzzle should forbid >: <: +: and -: as these rather trivially cover more than half of the possible answers. -- Raul Miller <<DateTime(2007-10-17T16:35:01Z)>>
  • I dislike these prohibitions because they would rule out expressions like #. >: 20 _08 -- Roger Hui <<DateTime(2007-10-17T20:29:45Z)>>
  • I agree with Roger Hui here, I wouldn't like to prohibit those. It doesn't actually cover more than half of the answers because most of the numbers have a two or three token answer, and an extra token like that often makes the solution too bad. -- B Jonas <<DateTime(2007-10-18T06:57:22Z)>>
• Ok, how about prohibiting solutions which begin with one of these -- that accounts for a fifth of the current answers. (That said, note that #. >: 20 _08 is equivalent to #. -. _20 08). -- Raul Miller <<DateTime(2007-10-22T19:26:46Z)>>