Traffic Jam Puzzle
Two groups of 5 people are crossing a river in opposite
directions by hopping on rocks. There are eleven rocks and in the
starting configuration, the empty rock is in between the two
groups:
Goal
The objective is for the two groups to exchange sides, that is,
to pass each other, so all the members of each team are on their
respective sides.
Rules
- You can only move forward in the direction you are facing.
No backstepping or turning around.
- Only one person may move at a time.
- There are two kinds of legal moves:
- You may move into an adjacent empty space
immediately in front of you.
- You may move around a person (or leapfrog over
them) into an empty space behind them, if they
are adjacent and FACING you.
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Traffic Jam Case Study