# "Le compte est bon", or, anyone for a math game? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 12, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727 "2010-01-12T23:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/101 "2010-01-25T19:09:11Z")
100 +1 = 101 7 +2 = 9 x = 909 909 + 3 = 912 Still working on 913 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/102 "2010-01-25T19:10:00Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Not in the rules of the UK version (nor, I suspect, the French one). Picking “6 small numbers” is a common ploy in the UK version to make the task harder, used when one contestant believes themselves to be better at solving these problems than the other. > > Cool, I did win that one then - thanks! > > No - the original French version (according to Arnold) allocates more credit to using more of the numbers, the UK version does not. Where did I say that? If I did I made a mistake, a “better” solution uses fewer numbers. At least that’s what I remember, I will try to find the official rules online somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/103 "2010-01-25T21:02:28Z")
> [@tom scud](#): > > 1, 2, 3, 7, 50, 100 > > target is 913. 2 \* 3 \* (100 + 50 + 1) + 7 Working numbers: 1, 4, 9, 25, 50, 100 Target number: 735 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/104 "2010-01-25T21:24:49Z")
735 = ((100 + 50 + 25 + 9) \* 4) - 1) Numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 7, 9; target is 877. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/105 "2010-01-25T22:38:06Z")
9 \* 7 \* 7 \* 2 - 5 Working numbers: 1, 2, 4, 10, 10, 50 Target number: 481 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/106 "2010-01-25T23:04:07Z")
(10 + 2) \* 10 \* 4 + 1 Working numbers: 2, 4, 5, 5, 9, 25 Target number: 367 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/107 "2010-01-25T23:09:02Z")
((5+9) \* (25+2)) - (5 - 4) = 367 1, 1, 3, 7, 9, 9, 10 Target is 777 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/108 "2010-01-25T23:22:55Z")
You’d better check your math there, **Quartz**. ((5+9) \* (25+2)) - (5 - 4) = 3 **7** 7. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/109 "2010-01-25T23:38:56Z")
(5 + 9) \* (5 + 2) \* 4 - 25 = 367 As for **Quartz** ’s challenge, 3 \* (10 + (1 + 1) \* 9 + 9) \* 7 = 777 New challenge: Working numbers: 1, 5, 7, 7, 10, 100 Target number: 661 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/110 "2010-01-25T23:44:46Z")
(I feel like somehow, the ones I generate I can solve much more easily, even though I use the auto-generator… Are other people not using the auto-generator? Does the auto-generator generate by randomly picking working numbers and a target or by randomly constructing an expression? Perhaps it’s all just confirmation bias…) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/111 "2010-01-25T23:57:03Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > Are other people not using the auto-generator? I don’t. I make up the number at random. Using the auto-generator means that the problem is solvable which takes the edge off the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/112 "2010-01-26T00:58:43Z")
Which auto-generator are you talking about? The one on my webpage? Or another one? The one on my webpage doesn’t check that the problem is solvable, it just picks numbers at random. Whenever I get to propose a problem (which I don’t do very much because it’s rare for me to get the correct solution first ☹ ) I use the auto-generator on my page. If many of the auto-generator problems are easily solved, maybe that’s because in general the problems are easily solved? On the other hand, when I use the auto-generator, I usually take 5 seconds to think about the problem to see if it has an obvious solution. If it does, I click the button and get another problem. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/113 "2010-01-26T01:05:02Z")
Oh, and by the way: (100 + 10) \* (5 + 1) + (7 / 7) = 661 New challenge (don’t blame me, it was auto-generated!): Working numbers: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 Target number: 996 ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/114 "2010-01-26T01:06:12Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Which auto-generator are you talking about? The one on my webpage? Or another one? > The one on my webpage doesn’t check that the problem is solvable, it just picks numbers at random. Whenever I get to propose a problem (which I don’t do very much because it’s rare for me to get the correct solution first ☹ ) I use the auto-generator on my page. If many of the auto-generator problems are easily solved, maybe that’s because in general the problems are easily solved? > On the other hand, when I use the auto-generator, I usually take 5 seconds to think about the problem to see if it has an obvious solution. If it does, I click the button and get another problem. Ah, alright. Yeah, I was talking about your generator; just curious, though the more I think about it, the more I think it’s just confirmation bias from the few instances I’ve seen. But, like you say, there’s nothing preventing me from generating a new problem when I get an easy one. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/115 "2010-01-26T01:08:27Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > New challenge (don’t blame me, it was auto-generated!) :): 5 \* (4 + 7) \* 2 \* 9 + 6 Next: Working numbers: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 100 Target number: 467 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/116 "2010-01-26T01:18:42Z")
(10 / 2) \* (100 - 9 + 1) + 8 = 468? Anything better? There must be. P.S. Indistinguishable - 3 minutes to solve that last problem? I am impressed. Do you have a super-computer on your desk? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/117 "2010-01-26T01:22:09Z")
Thanks; all by hand, I’m afraid (well, hand and a basic calculator; I assume that’s ok, given that one is on the problem generation webpage?). Also, the problem I gave is solvable. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/118 "2010-01-26T01:28:38Z")
9/2 x 100 + 10 + 8 - 1 = 467. From the generator: 3, 4, 10, 25, 50, 75 Target 362. I’m pretty sure there’s a solution, though it’s harder than it looks at first. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/119 "2010-01-26T01:31:36Z")
4 \* 75 + 50 + 25 - 10 - 3 Working numbers: 2, 4, 6, 10, 25, 50 Target number: 414 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727/120 "2010-01-26T01:41:49Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > 9/2 x 100 + 10 + 8 - 1 = 467. Well done! But all intermediate results are supposed to be integers, so in the French game they would expect you to write 9 \* 100 / 2 and not 9 / 2 \* 100 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/le-compte-est-bon-or-anyone-for-a-math-game/524727.md?page=7)