Problem 42498. Pancake sorting - minimum flips.

Sort a stack of pancakes by flipping them using spatula.
  • There are N pancakes with diameters 1:N.
  • Spatula can be inserted anywhere in the stack and used to flip all the pancakes above.
  • Sort pancakes in increasing order.
  • Return a vector of places where spatula was inserted.
  • Minimize number of flips, your score will depend on the number of flips in the last few tests.
  • References: math.illinois.edu, wikipedia.
Example (horizontal view):
Initial stack: 6 4 2 5 3 1, ("," indicates position of spatula)
first flip: 1 3 5,2 4 6
second: 5 3 1 2 4,6
... 4 2 1 3,5 6
3 1 2,4 5 6
2 1,3 4 5 6
sorted! 1 2 3 4 5 6
positions of spatula from the begining: 6 3 5 4 3 2
Solve

Solution Stats

69.33% Correct | 30.67% Incorrect
Last Solution submitted on Jun 01, 2025

Problem Comments

Solution Comments

Show comments

Problem Recent Solvers32

Suggested Problems

More from this Author40

Problem Tags

pancakes sorting

Community Treasure Hunt

Find the treasures in MATLAB Central and discover how the community can help you!

Start Hunting!