#163 Down for the count
In the TV number quiz show Down for the Count, four contestants are challenged to combine each of five number cards exactly once to achieve a target number. They are allowed to use standard arithmetical operations +, -, × and ÷ (as well as brackets, if required).
“I’ll take five cards from the top row,” requested one of the contestants, and the presenter Anne-Marie obligingly revealed these five numbers:
10; 100; 1000; 10,000; 100,000.
The studio computer then generated today’s challenge: “Produce a whole number without any zeroes.”
No zeroes? Wow. Each of the four contestants thought hard, and…
