Permutations (A2k)

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I have a range consisting of 40 cells – 8 rows by 5 columns. Each row consists of 5 digits. I need to display every permutation of one digit taken from each row to form a series of rows each containing eight digits. I hope I’ve phrased my requirements comprehensibly. Would any kind soul supply some code to achieve this?
TIA.

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Rob,

Designing a new puzzle ?

I hope you realise that there are 5 to the power 8 = 390625 possible choices (if the digits in a row are different). You say you want to display them all – that’s going to take time! And it exceeds the max number of 65536 rows in a worksheet.

What do you want to achieve?

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Very astute, Hans, but not quite. After a long day, to my shame, I’m trying to take the easy way out and use any such code to help me solve puzzles of a particular type – sort of defeats the object really. I shall rely on my brain to filter out the nonsense combinations and attack the problem anew, tomorrow. Still, a general approach to such problems would be useful for future projects and if you have the time or inclination your thoughts would be valued. But at your leisure: you have more important problems to focus on.

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If there are not 5^8 permutations, what combinations are not used?

What kind of puzzles are you trying to solve? It is sometimes an interesting puzzle to try to figure generic algorithms for solving puzzles.

Steve

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Steve,

I think that Rob (bandido) was trying to solve the puzzle in post 230187 in the Puzzles forum by brute force.

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Hans,
Ok that explains the reason, though I still say there are 5^8 permutations, the way he stated it.

I guess he could mean that he already has the 8 letters (1 from each row) removed (to leave the 8 NEW words) and wants the 8! =40,320 combinations of those 8 letters.

Steve

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Steve,
I originally wanted to find out how many valid, eight letter English words I could create by taking one letter from each row. However, I solved Ricky’s puzzle very quickly by visual inspection.
It was how you would approach this type of problem using Excel, VB or both that intrigued me.

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I love it! I’ve got you reaching for permutations…

Since the word BREAD contains many possibilities, I’ll tell you that you can grab the A and move on…

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If I understand:

You have 8 rows and 5 cols. each cell of this 8×5 matrix contains 1 number.
You want to take 1 number (out of the 5 columns) from each row and combine them into 1 8-digit number.

You want all the permutations (I calculate 5^8 permutations = 390,625) of this?

Where do you want the results and how do want them displayed. Do you want the list in any sort of Matrix (25 col x 15,625 rows; or 125 col x 3,125 rows) or just fill a column and when it gets full to just go to the next column (and this will take just shy of 6 FULL excel columns to list them.)

Steve

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Sorry Steve! I had a rush of blood to the foot (where my brain resides).Your post arrived mid-reply to Hans.

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