Thursday, October 29, 2009

Noah's Cube-of Stones and Houses

I am given six negative commandments. Each negative commandment can be understood as a wall. The walls are to be put together to form a cube. How many different ways could I arrange the walls?

If I had only one wall (a) there would be only one way I could order it (a) 1!=1
Two walls (a and b) could be ordered two ways (a,b or b,a) 2!=2
Three walls could be ordered six ways (a,b.c or a,c,b or b,a,c or b,c,a or c,a,b or c,b,a) 3!=6
x!=(x-1)!*x
Four walls could be ordered twenty four ways 4!=24
Five walls could be ordered one hundred twenty ways 5!=120
6!=720

I sit in the middle of my cube. The walls rearrange themselves. Each order of arrangement creates a picture. Something unique, distinct from any other. Each with it's own special attributes and challenges. Each with it's own needs and benefits.

Six stones(walls) will build 720 houses.

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