In a remote island, a language in which every word can be written using only the letters , , , , , , is spoken. Let's say two words are [i]synonymous[/i] if we can transform one into the other according to the following rules:
i) Change a letter by another two in the following way:
ii) If a letter is between other two equal letters, these can be removed. For example, .
Show that all words in this language are synonymous.
Solution
1. Transforming Double Letters:
- Consider the sequence of transformations for double letters:
This shows that the double letter "aa" can be transformed into "bb". By applying the transformation rules cyclically, we can see that every double letter is equivalent to every other double letter. For example:
This completes the cycle, showing that any double letter can be transformed into any other double letter.
2. Transforming Single Letters:
- Consider the sequence of transformations for single letters:
This shows that the letter "a" can be transformed into the letter "d". By applying the transformation rules cyclically, we can see that every letter is equivalent to every other letter. For example:
This completes the cycle, showing that any single letter can be transformed into any other single letter.
3. Algorithm to Transform Words:
- Given two words, we can lengthen the shorter word by adding equivalent letters until both words are of the same length.
- Once the words are of the same length, we can change the letters accordingly using the transformations described above.
Conclusion:
Since we have shown that any double letter can be transformed into any other double letter and any single letter can be transformed into any other single letter, it follows that all words in this language are synonymous.