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Forum URL: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/forumctk.cgi
Forum Name: College math
Topic ID: 272
Message ID: 3
#3, RE: a rectangle box with segment??
Posted by alexb on Jun-21-02 at 01:26 PM
In response to message #2
Well, it's an old and well known problem. If you search the Web for "+Euler +theorem +graph" you will rpobably run into a solution. But you may also think a little as well.

There are 3 boxes with 5 segments each. For each box, getting into the box and then getting out, or getting out first and then getting in, means crossing two of its segments. If a box has an odd number of segments, then you either have to start or end there. But you have 3 such. Now do the thinking. (The outside should be also looked at as a region whose boundary is composed of the segments - seven segments to be exact. So in fact you have four regions with an odd number of segments.)