MathDB

We’re playing a game with a sequence of

2008

non-negative integers. A move consists of picking a integer

b

from that sequence, of which the neighbours

a

and

c

are positive. We then replace

a, b

and

c

a - 1, b + 7

and

c - 1

respectively. It is not allowed to pick the first or the last integer in the sequence, since they only have one neighbour. If there is no integer left such that both of its neighbours are positive, then there is no move left, and the game ends. Prove that the game always ends, regardless of the sequence of integers we begin with, and regardless of the moves we make.

Problem Statement