Tricky Question (for which I do not know the answer)

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Each year my workplace has an event where speakers/presenters come and teach us a few new things going on in our sector. Between each speaker, the employees switch tables so that no one ever sits with the same person twice. Also, each table had 1 person that never moved.

Here is what we know: Paul asked us to have 37 tables. He said he needed for it to be a prime number. There were approx. 8 people per table for a total of 296 people. He had said, “I’ll print out labels to go up to 330 but we’ll need to have a 9th chair at each table and we won’t really know which tables have 9 and will change each time.”

He gave each person a, “ticket” with number/number/number/number/number… Each ticket had 5 numbers on it. The number corrasponded to the table to which you were assigned.

I want to know what the secret is that makes this work.

Thanks so much!

 

[jvicens]

It seems like your workplace has come up with a unique and effective way to ensure that each employee has the opportunity to interact with different individuals during the event. The use of prime numbers and a rotating table system is certainly intriguing.

After some consideration, I believe the secret to making this system work lies in the use of prime numbers. Prime numbers are numbers that can only be divided by 1 and itself, and they have the unique property of not being able to be divided evenly by any other number. In this case, having 37 tables allows for a prime number of tables, ensuring that each person will have a different table assignment for each round.

Additionally, the use of 8 people per table with a 9th chair allows for flexibility in table assignments. This means that even if there are a few tables with 9 people, the remaining tables with 8 people can still rotate and ensure that everyone interacts with different individuals.

The ticket system also plays a crucial role in making this system work. By assigning each person a unique set of numbers, it ensures that no two people will have the same table assignment for each round. This further adds to the diversity and variety of interactions during the event.

Overall, I believe the combination of prime numbers, a rotating table system, and the ticket assignment is the secret to the success of this event format. I hope this helps in your understanding of how this system works. Best of luck with your event!
A Scientist