![](https://matematizou.gradmat.ufabc.edu.br/files/hanoi3-scaled.jpg)
Description
The Tower of Hanoi (also known as the Tower of Brahma or Tower of Lucas) is a puzzle that consists of three discs and a certain number of discs of different sizes, which fit onto the pegs, as shown in the figure below:
![](https://gradmat.ufabc.edu.br/expomat/files/hanoi1_gozzi.jpg)
The problem begins with the discs aligned from largest to smallest, bottom to top, forming a conical shape. The objective is to move the stack of discs to one of the other pegs, preserving the conical shape, and following the rules:
1. Only one disc can be moved at a time;
2. Each movement consists in taking a disc from the top of a pile and putting it on top of another pile or on an empty stick;
3. You cannot stack a disc over a smaller disc;
Historical context
This puzzle was invented by the French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1883. There is a legend of a Hindu temple with three large pillars surrounded by 64 golden discs. According to the legend, the monks have been moving the discs according to the rules of the puzzle since time immemorial, and when they complete the final move, the world will end. A version of this legend places the temple in Hanoi, Vietnam, hence the name given to the puzzle.
Example with 3 discs
![](https://gradmat.ufabc.edu.br/expomat/files/hanoi-explicativo-2_1.png)
Questions
1. How to solve the puzzle in the general case, i.e., with n discs, where n is a natural number?
2. What is the least ammount of steps in question 1?
3. How long will it take the monks to bring about the end of the world if they take 1 second for each step?
Answers to the questions above
Try solving the Tower of Hanoi simmulated below:
Watch a video with the solution to the Tower of Hanoi with 4 discs:
How to do it at home / school
Suggestion 1: Installing the game on smartphones: available here
Suggestion 2: STUDIES PROGRAM DEVELOPED BY protagonismodigital.sed.ms.gov.br:
https://www.protagonismodigital.sed.ms.gov.br/roteiro-de-estudo/construindo-uma-torre-de-hanoi-56377
Suggestion 3: Print the file below, glue it to a piece of cardboard or other hard material. Cut the circles, making a hole in the center. Make a cardboard base and glue colored pencils or barbecue sticks on the base.
Shared file for editting: https://www.overleaf.com/9277129981skbygnbqphxt
Shared file for viewing: https://www.overleaf.com/read/rpsvjzyyqjkf