Setup and Rule Diagrams

[Dave Killoran]

Setup and Rule Diagram Explanation

This is an Advanced Linear: Balanced game.

The four boys must sit in chairs 1, 3, 5, and 7; the three girls must sit in chairs 2, 4, and 6. This occurs because of the Separation PrincipleTM in this game, a result of the second rule. With I sitting in chair 5 due to the third rule, and with the girls sitting in chairs 2, 4, and 6, from the fourth rule we can deduce that S must sit in chair 6. R and T must then sit in chairs 2 and 4, not necessarily in that order.

Because F and R must be adjacent to each other from the last rule, and because R limited to chair 2 or chair 4, we can infer that F cannot sit in chair 7, and must instead sit in chair 1 or 3.

Because F cannot sit in chair 7, and because I is already seated in chair 5, only H or J can sit in chair 7.

[saygracealways]

Hi PowerScore,

Instead of diagramming the two variable sets to be (1) Whether either a Boy or Girl sits in each seat; (2) Name of either Boy or Girl who sits in that seat, I divided the diagram to have the variable sets (1) Name of Boy; (2) Name of Girl. For variable set (1) Name of Boy, I placed an 'X' in chairs 2, 4 and 6; and for variable set (2) Name of Girl, I placed an 'X' in chairs 1, 3, 5 and 7. The resulting inferences came out to be the same, but would my method be far less efficient than the one shown on this forum? If so, is there a way I can improve my thought process on how to structure the diagram so that it's more efficient/concise?

Thank you!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi saygracealways!

In this game, it is not a big deal to have set it up the way you did because we have a Separation Principle which means that we alternate between B and G and we know exactly which slots are B and which are G. But in general, it is easier to represent your rules if you keep your variable sets on the same stack and there will be games in which you do not know for sure where all of the variables on one stack go (as we do here with the B/G stack). When determining your variable sets in a game like this, focus on the characteristics that each slot must have. You don't want to have slots which you know will be empty (unless you have an underfunded game) and you want to keep variable sets on the same stack. For this game, we know that each chair has a name and a B/G designation. So it's best to have a stack for the name and a stack for whether they are a B/G.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[ToluOj]

I did this game the "normal" way the first go around, and I finished within 8:45, but afterward, I was curious to see if templating would've worked. So I drew up three templates:

Temp 1: FR, 1-2
F R J/H T I S H/J

Temp 2: RF, 2-3
H/J R F T I S J/H

Temp 3: FR, 3-4
H/J T F R I S J/H

Even though I answered within the 8:45, I think I could've shaved a little time on this game with templates. Thoughts?

Also, any reason why the rules stated what direction the children were facing? Seemed unnecessary, but I know these test makers are wily, so I try to be conscious of every word.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi ToluOj!

It's hard to say for sure whether the templates would have saved you time with them as it depends on how quickly you were able to create them, your strategy going through questions without them, etc. For some games, templates make the game much easier/faster. For games like this, it's more of a judgment call. So it's good that you're experimenting with templates and asking these questions--that's the best way to determine when you personally will find templates useful and how to create and apply them quickly!

Th fact that the children are all facing north isn't meant to confuse you! It's just meant to be as explicit as possible to make sure there's no room for misinterpreting what it means when children are sitting "next" to each other, etc.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey