OR/MS Games: 2. Towers of Hanoi

In this discussion we examine the famous Towers of Hanoi puzzle from an OR/MS perspective, focusing on its educational content. We show that this puzzle provides an excellent environment for illustrating a number of fundamental OR/MS problem-solving concepts in general and dynamic programming concepts in particular. In addition to the popular “min” version of the problem, we also present an interesting but rather neglected “max” version. On-line interactive modules are included.