The Kangaroo Conundrum

Section A:
1:
The question can be solved with a minimum of 3 steps following the below steps:

2:
The question can be solved with a minimum of 8 steps following the below steps:

3:
The question can be solved with a minimum of 15 steps following the below steps:
4:
On the first step, move the kangaroo from either family that’s closest to the middle, which in this
case we’ll call the family Family A, to the middle, opening a hole in between two kangaroos of Family
A. Then, move the kangaroo from Family B into that hole. After that, move the kangaroos of Family B
so that there is exactly one hole between the kangaroos. This allows the kangaroos of Family A to
slowly jump through the holes to reach the end. But while you move Family A to the end, you must
also consider Family B. So when the last kangaroo of Family A reaches a hole, Family B’s kangaroo
that’s closer to Family A’s side will move towards the end. Finally, use the same method we used on
Family A on Family B so the kangaroos in both families can reach the end.

5:
Use the method explained above but consider when Family B should begin moving to ensure the use
of minimum steps.

Section B:
1:
While trying to find an expression for this question, I noticed a pattern in the numbers, shown in the
table below:

Size of Kangaroo Minimum Steps Pattern of MSR

Families(SoKF) Required(MSR)
1 3 1+2
2 8 1+2 ×2+3
3 15 1+2 ×2+3 ×2+ 4

As you can see in the pattern, which I have arranged the numbers in a specific ascending order, all
MSR numbers can be shown as a series of addition, with multiplication included in it. The addition
starts with 1, and ends with the SoKF number + 1. All natural numbers in between them, if they were
in ascending consecutive order, need to be multiplied by 2. Using this pattern, I derived a formula,
shown below with the SoKF number as n.

1+2 ×2+3 ×2 …+2 n+¿ )

Then, I began simplifying the formula to make it easier to use. Using the consecutive number sum
formula(shown below as expression A), I simplified the formula in the following steps(shown below
as expression B), assuming the MSR number is x.

Expression A:

( 1+n ) n
1+2+3+…+ n=
2
Expression B:

1+2 ×2+3 ×2 …+2 n+¿ )¿ x

1+2+3+ ⋯+n+ ( n+ 1 )+ 2+3+ …+n=x

( 1+ n+1 )( n+1 ) ( 2+n ) ( n−1 )

+ =x
2 2
( 2+ n ) ( n+1 ) + ( 2+n ) ( n−1 )
=x
2
( 2+ n ) ( n+1+n−1 )
=x
2
 ( 2+ n ) ( 2n )
=x
2
( 2+n ) n=x
2
n +2 n=x
After simplifying the formula, I tested it with the original numbers, which worked. So in conclusion,
the formula is n2 +2 n=x, where n is the size of the kangaroo families, and x is the minimum steps
required. Below is also a graph of the equation:

As you can see in the graph, it is a parabola, due to the

formula being in the form of a x 2 +bx+ c , which is the
standard form of parabolas.
(Generated using Desmos)

2:
Using the same strategy described in Section A Question
4. No matter what size the families are, the question
can still be solved easily in the minimum steps.

3:
After testing the aforementioned strategy with different
combinations, I realized that there is an exact
expression for how many times a normal step or a jump
is required. For steps, every kangaroo, after jumping,
would still need one more step to reach the end, except
the first kangaroo that moved, which moves a step at
the start. So assuming Family A has x kangaroos and
Family B has y kangaroos, the expression for steps will
be:

x+ y

For jumps, since every kangaroo needs to jump for

times of the other family’s number of kangaroos. The
expression will be:

xy
Then, piecing the two expressions together, we can get the expression:

x + y + xy
The special thing about this expression is that we need to create a 3D graph if we wanted to graph it.
Below is the 3D graph:
(Generated by GeoGebra)

As you can see, the two shapes resemble a 2d part cut out of a cone, which I find very interesting.