Brain Teasers
Least Positive Difference
Use the numbers 7, 3, 5, 0, 8, 1, 4, and 6 to fill in the expression xxxx-xxxx. You may use each number only once.
How can you arrange the numbers to get the least positive difference?
How can you arrange the numbers to get the least positive difference?
Hint
The way you choose digits for the thousands place may be different from the way you choose the other digits.Answer
5013 - 4876 = 137Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Wouldn't a negative number be the least positive difference?
that is the first math one i got right yay me (and you for the great teaser)
Very slick as math puzzle - but only computation is brute force to check possibility.
There's nothing brute force about this. I wrote the answer out quickly without any trial and error and without much effort.
I do think that the answer should have explained how to solve it though.
The first two digits needed to be the middle two with the minimum difference, with the larger obviously on the top. There are three numbers below 4 and three above 5 and 5-4 = 1 which is the minimum difference between any two numbers. Then you fill in the rest from left to right by taking the smallest for the top and largest for the bottom until all the digits are assigned. Took like 10 seconds.
I do think that the answer should have explained how to solve it though.
The first two digits needed to be the middle two with the minimum difference, with the larger obviously on the top. There are three numbers below 4 and three above 5 and 5-4 = 1 which is the minimum difference between any two numbers. Then you fill in the rest from left to right by taking the smallest for the top and largest for the bottom until all the digits are assigned. Took like 10 seconds.
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