Tower of Hanoi
Duration: 10 min
This video lesson is available to enrolled students.
Inside: a video lesson and guided study material.
Module outline
- General Intelligence & Reasoning: Analogy, Non Verbal Reasoning (Spatial Aptitude) (Spatial Reasoning) (Visual Reasoning), Series (Number and Letter Series) (Numerical Relations and Reasoning), Coding Decoding, Blood Relations, Directions (Direction Test), Ranking, Order and Sequence, Logical Sequence Of Words, Syllogisms, Venn Diagram, Deductive and Inductive Reasoning (Logical Deduction and Induction) (Prepositional Reasoning), Selection Decision Table (Decision Making), Data Sufficiency, Puzzle Solving (Puzzles), Data Arrangement, Cubes & Dices, Calendar, Clock, Arithmetic, Number System, HCF LCM, Verbal Analogy (Word Based Analogy), Visual Recognition and Figure Completion, Paper Folding and Cutting, Transformation of Shapes, Clocks and Calendars, Direction Sense, Cubes and Dice, Patterns in Two-Dimensional Figures, Seating Arrangements, Analogy and Classification, Logical Deduction and Induction, Alphabet and Word Tests, Mathematical Operations, Series Completion, Simplification and Approximation, Coding and Decoding, Numerical Reasoning, Assembling and Grouping of Shapes, Three-Dimensional Patterns and Visualization, Vocabulary, Number System, Averages, Mixtures and Alligation, Simple and Compound Interest, Percentages, Algebra, Speed, Time and Distance, Seating and Arrangement Puzzles, Traverse Surveying, Order, Ranking and Sequence, Constraint Puzzles, Syllogisms and Venn Diagrams, Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Permutations and Combinations, Narrative Sequencing, Project Monitoring, Resources and Safety, Profit, Loss and Discount, Ratio and Proportion, Time and Work, Mensuration, Data Interpretation, Powers, Surds and Logarithms, Sequences and Series, Articles and Determiners, Sentence Completion, Data Sufficiency, Blood Relations, Simple Interest and Compound Interest, Mixture and Alligation, Sequence and Series (Series), Speed Time and Distance, Algebra, Profit and Loss, Powers and Exponents (Surds and Indices), Permutation and Combination
- General Awareness: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Polity, Indian Economy, Environment, Static General Knowledge, GK- Current Affairs, Artificial Intelligence, MS Office Applications, Terms & Abbreviations, Keyboard Shortcuts, Evolution of Indian Banking (Banking & Financial Awareness), Emerging Tech Trends
- Engineering Mathematics: Set Theory, Relations, Functions, Graph Theory, Group Theory, Propositional and Predicate Logic, Linear Algebra, Calculus, Probability, Statistics, Signal Space and Optimum Detection, Probability, Statistics
- Digital Logic: Digital Systems & Boolean Basics, Logic Gates & Hardware, Boolean Expression, Boolean Minimization, Combinational Circuit, Sequential Circuits, Number System, Number Representation, Floating Point Rep, Number Systems and Codes, Registers and Counters, Boolean Algebra and Logic Gates, Microprocessors and Microcontrollers, Logic Families and CMOS Logic, Microprocessors, Logic Gates and Boolean Algebra, Minimization of Boolean Functions, Timing, Hazards and Testing, Logic Families, Combinational Logic Design, Arithmetic Circuits, Waveform Generators and Timer Circuits, Semiconductor Memories and Programmable Logic Devices, Combinational Logic Circuits, Latches and Flip-Flops, Finite State Machines, Sequential Circuits and State Machines, Minimization of Boolean Functions, Arithmetic Circuits, Latches and Flip-Flops, Number Systems and Codes, Registers and Counters
- Computer Organisation & Architecture: Basics of COA, Cache Memory Organization, Input Output Organisation, Pipelining, Instr Formats & Modes, Control Unit Design, Programming the Basic Computer, Register Transfer and Microoperations, Semiconductor Memories and Programmable Logic, Processor Organization and Instructions, Memory Hierarchy and Input/Output, Registers and Counters
- Programming & Data Structures: C Fundamentals, Control Flow, Functions, Arrays & Pointers, Storage Classes, Structures & Enums, DMA, Macros, Scoping & File Handling, Introduction to DS, Array, Stack, Queue, Linked List, Tree, Graphs, Hashing, HTML Basics, OOPS with C++, Java, Object Oriented Technology
- Databases: Basics of DBMS, ER Diagram, Relational Model & Functional Dependencies, Keys & Integrity Constraints, Normalization (1NF - BCNF), Decomposition Properties & 4NF, File Organization & Indexing, Relational Algebra, SQL, Relational Calculus, Transaction Management, Concurrency Control, Database Recovery, Database Security & Authorization
- Algorithms: Algorithm Analysis, Time Complexity Analysis, Sorting Algorithms, Greedy Algorithms, Dynamic Programming, Minimum Spanning Trees, Shortest Path Algos
- Theory of Computation: Introduction to TOC, Deterministic FA (DFA), Non-Deterministic FA, Regular Expressions, Grammar, Regular Language Properties, Moore & Mealy Machines, Pushdown Automata & CFG, Turing Machines, Complexity Theory
- Compiler Design: Intro to Compilers, Lexical Analysis, Grammar & CFG, Syntax Analysis: Top-Down, Syntax Analysis: Bottom-Up, Semantic Analysis & SDT, Intermediate Code Gen, Code Optimization, Run Time Environment
- Operating System: Introduction to OS, Process Management, CPU Scheduling, Process Synchronization, Threads & Process Creation, Deadlock, Memory Management, Virtual Memory, Disc Scheduling, File Management, Security, Windows OS, Distributed Systems, Unix OS, Linux OS
- Computer Networks: Introduction to CN, DLL: Access Control, DLL: Flow Control, DLL: Error Control, DLL: Framing, Data Link Layer - Ethernet, Net Layer: IPv4 & Proto, Net Layer: IP Addressing, Net Layer:Routing Protocol, Transport Layer Services, TL: Congestion & UDP, Application Layer, Hardware Basics, Data Communication, Website, Browser & Services, Web Design & Development, Network Security, Cyber Threats and Malware Attacks, Cyber Safety and Security
- Full Length Mock Tests:
- Sectional Tests:
AI summary & chapters
AI Summary
An AI-generated summary of this video lecture.
This educational video provides a detailed lecture on the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, a classic problem in computer science and mathematics. The instructor begins by defining the puzzle, its components, and the initial setup involving three rods and disks of varying sizes. The lecture then outlines the three fundamental rules governing the movement of disks. A historical anecdote regarding the Tower of Brahma in Kashi Vishwanath is presented to explain the puzzle's alternative name. The core of the session focuses on the recursive algorithm used to solve the problem. The instructor displays pseudocode, explains the base case and recursive steps, and manually traces the execution for N=3 using a recursion tree. Finally, the video derives the time complexity formulas for total disk moves and total function calls.
Chapters
0:00 – 2:00 00:00-02:00
The video opens with a slide titled 'Tower of hanoi'. The instructor, identified as Sanchit Jain Sir, introduces the puzzle. The slide text states: 'The Tower of Hanoi (also called the Tower of Brahma) is a mathematical game or puzzle.' It describes the physical components: 'It consists of three rods and a number of disks of different sizes, which can slide onto any rod.' The initial state is described as: 'The puzzle starts with the disks in a neat stack in ascending order of size on one rod, the smallest at the top, thus making a conical shape.' An image of the wooden puzzle is shown on the screen, illustrating the conical stack of disks on the leftmost rod.
2:00 – 5:00 02:00-05:00
The lecture transitions to the rules and objective. A new slide appears with the text: 'The objective of the puzzle is to move the entire stack to another rod, obeying the following simple rules:' Three rules are listed: '1. Only one disk can be moved at a time.', '2. Each move consists of taking the upper disk from one of the stacks and placing it on top of another stack or on an empty rod.', and '3. No larger disk may be placed on top of a smaller disk.' The instructor then introduces a story about an 'Indian temple in Kashi Vishwanath which contains a large room with three time-worn posts in it, surrounded by 64 golden disks.' He explains that 'Brahmin priests... have been moving these disks in accordance with the immutable rules of Brahma since that time,' which is why it is also known as the Tower of Brahma puzzle.
5:00 – 10:00 05:00-10:00
The instructor presents the recursive solution. A code snippet is displayed: 'Tower(N, B, A, E)'. The base case is shown: 'if(n = 1) { B -> E; return; }'. The recursive logic follows: 'tower(n-1, B, E, A);', 'B -> E', and 'tower(n-1, A, B, E);'. The instructor draws a recursion tree on the screen to trace the execution for N=3. He writes 'T(3, B, A, E)' at the top. He branches it into 'T(2, B, E, A)' and 'T(2, A, B, E)'. He continues expanding the tree down to the base cases. On the right side, he lists the sequence of moves: 'B->E', 'B->A', 'E->A', 'B->E', 'A->B', 'A->E', 'B->E'. At the bottom of the slide, formulas are provided: 'total disk moves = 2^n - 1' and 'total number of function call = 2^(n+1) - 1'. He also notes 'how many invocation are required for the first disk to move = n'.
10:00 – 10:12 10:00-10:12
The video concludes with the instructor finalizing the explanation of the recursion tree. The screen displays the fully drawn tree structure showing the branching of function calls for N=3. The formulas for total disk moves and function calls remain visible at the bottom. The instructor is seen wrapping up the derivation of the complexity analysis for the Tower of Hanoi algorithm.
The lecture systematically builds understanding of the Tower of Hanoi from its physical definition and rules to its mathematical solution. By combining the historical context with a step-by-step breakdown of the recursive algorithm, the instructor clarifies how the problem is solved efficiently. The visual tracing of the recursion tree and the derivation of the $2^n - 1$ formula provide a concrete understanding of the exponential time complexity inherent in the problem.

