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Calculating different ways
Hey guys,
I have to write a program which calculates the number of possibilities how an amount of bottles can be placed in boxes which have different capacities (for example you have 7 bottles and 2 boxes, where box 1 can hold up to 3 bottles and box 2 can hold 5 which gives 2 possibilities). Right now the input works and it tells me the correct result for the example above, but if I try it with e.g. 20 bottles and 5 boxes (capacity of 5 , 8, 9 , 11 and 15), the result is 10, whereas there are a lot more possibilities...
If somebody could have a look at my code and tell me what's wrong, I'd be more than grateful.
I have to write a program which calculates the number of possibilities how an amount of bottles can be placed in boxes which have different capacities (for example you have 7 bottles and 2 boxes, where box 1 can hold up to 3 bottles and box 2 can hold 5 which gives 2 possibilities). Right now the input works and it tells me the correct result for the example above, but if I try it with e.g. 20 bottles and 5 boxes (capacity of 5 , 8, 9 , 11 and 15), the result is 10, whereas there are a lot more possibilities...
If somebody could have a look at my code and tell me what's wrong, I'd be more than grateful.
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Think about the problem and see if you can discover a way to solve it mathematically. This sounds like a combinations/permutations problem.
If you can't solve it mathematically then I think the code should be recursive. Let's say there are B bottles, X boxes and the first box holds N bottles. You can put 1 bottle in that box, and solve the problem the remaining X-1 boxes and B-1 bottles. The next possibility is 2 bottles in the first box and however many ways you can but B-2 bottles in the remaining X-1 boxes. Continue.
Do you have to put a bottle in each box? In other words, if you have 1 bottle and 2 boxes, is the answer 2, or 0? You'll have to account for this either way.
If you can't solve it mathematically then I think the code should be recursive. Let's say there are B bottles, X boxes and the first box holds N bottles. You can put 1 bottle in that box, and solve the problem the remaining X-1 boxes and B-1 bottles. The next possibility is 2 bottles in the first box and however many ways you can but B-2 bottles in the remaining X-1 boxes. Continue.
Do you have to put a bottle in each box? In other words, if you have 1 bottle and 2 boxes, is the answer 2, or 0? You'll have to account for this either way.
| If you can't solve it mathematically then I think the code should be recursive. Let's say there are B bottles, X boxes and the first box holds N bottles. You can put 1 bottle in that box, and solve the problem the remaining X-1 boxes and B-1 bottles. The next possibility is 2 bottles in the first box and however many ways you can but B-2 bottles in the remaining X-1 boxes. Continue. |
Could you elaborate on this a bit more? How would I check that all possibilities for X-1 and B-1 have been tried?
| Do you have to put a bottle in each box? In other words, if you have 1 bottle and 2 boxes, is the answer 2, or 0? |
The answer would be 0.
Could you elaborate on this a bit more? How would I check that all possibilities for X-1 and B-1 have been tried?Have you learned about recursion? To solve the smaller problem you would call the function that solves it recursively.
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