Robot Software Architectures wiki/ notes/ Lecture1B

== The Himalayan Tea Ceremony ==

In the inns of certain Himalayan villages is practiced a most civilized and refined tea ceremony. The ceremony involves a host and exactly two guests, neither more nor less. When his guests have arrived and seated themselves at his table, the host performs three services for them. These services are listed in order of the nobility that the Himalayans attribute to them: (1) Stoking the Fire, (2) Pouring the Tea, and (3) Reciting Poetry. During the ceremony, any of those present may ask another, "Honored Sir, may I perform this onerous task for you?" However, a person may request of another only the least noble of the tasks which the other is performing. Further, if a person is performing any tasks, then he may not request a task that is nobler than the least noble task he is already performing. Custom requires that by the time the tea ceremony is over, all the tasks will have been transferred from the host to the more senior of the guests. How may this be accomplished?

== Mutilated Tiling Problem ==

You have an 8x8 grid, and a set of identical rectangular tiles. Each tile can cover two squares in the grid. If the grid is mutilated so that two diagonally opposite corners are removed, show how the remaining squares in the grid can be covered with the tiles, or if this is not possible, show why not.