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PROJECT EULER · #0093

Arithmetic Expressions

Statement only · SolvedOriginal problem ↗

By using each of the digits from the set, {1,2,3,4}, exactly once, and making use of the four arithmetic operations (+,,×,/) and brackets/parentheses, it is possible to form different positive integer targets.

For example,

8=(4×(1+3))/214=4×(3+1/2)19=4×(2+3)136=3×4×(2+1)

Note that concatenations of the digits, like 12+34, are not allowed.

Using the set, {1,2,3,4}, it is possible to obtain thirty-one different target numbers of which 36 is the maximum, and each of the numbers 1 to 28 can be obtained before encountering the first non-expressible number.

Find the set of four distinct digits, a<b<c<d, for which the longest set of consecutive positive integers, 1 to n, can be obtained, giving your answer as a string: abcd.

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