SEARCH HOME
Math CentralQuandaries & Queries

search

Question from Lisa, a parent:

25 people are attending a 5 day meeting. There are 5 tables, with each table seating 5 (or 6). I want each person to sit at a different table every day with completely different people.
Is this possible. Can do I figure this out?
I have each of the people a leter designation from A to Y. Each table
have a number from 1 to 5.
Thank you!

Lisa,

There is a schedule whereby 25 people can sit in groups of 5 every day for six days, and each two people are together at a table exactly once. I have pasted one below, but since I copied it from elsewhere, the people are numbered 1 through 25. You'll want to use the first 5 days of this schedule.

I don't think it is possible to schedule the tables as you want. Because of properties of the design that arranges the people, on each day, and at each table, there will be one person who has sat at that table before.

Hope this helps anyway.
--Victoria

 

[ 1 2 3 4 5 | 6 7 8 9 10 | 11 12 13 14 15 | 16 17 18 19 20 | 21 22 23 24 25 ]

[ 1 6 11 16 21 | 2 7 12 17 22 | 3 8 13 18 23 | 4 9 14 19 24 | 5 10 15 20 25 ]

[ 1 8 12 20 24 | 2 6 15 19 23 | 3 9 11 17 25 | 4 10 13 16 22 | 5 7 14 18 21 ]

[ 1 7 13 19 25 | 2 10 11 18 24 | 3 6 14 20 22 | 4 8 15 17 21 | 5 9 12 16 23 ]

[ 1 10 14 17 23 | 2 9 13 20 21 | 3 7 15 16 24 | 4 6 12 18 25 | 5 8 11 19 22 ]

[ 1 9 15 18 22 | 2 8 14 16 25 | 3 10 12 19 21 | 4 7 11 20 23 | 5 6 13 17 24 ]

About Math Central
 

 


Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.
Quandaries & Queries page Home page University of Regina PIMS