Twin jumping checkers in \(Z^ d\) (Q1891365)

Starting with a distribution of checkers placed at lattice points in the lower half plane, it is impossible to bring a checker to the line \(y= 5\) using horizontal and vertical jumping moves, removing the jumped piece. The authors generalize this result to \(Z^d\). Given a configuration of checkers at lattice points in the lower half space \(x_d\leq 0\), the maximum height to which a checker may be moved is \(3d- 2\), and this bound is attained. The ``twin jumping checker'' problem is to determine the minimum distance between two checkers brought to level \(3d- 2\) from such a starting configuration. It is shown that this minimum distance is 3, independent of \(d\). The entertaining proof involves the golden ratio, generating functions, and such special configurations as the ``laser gun'' and ``joystick''.