A One-Dimensional Puzzle to Teach Integer Programming

The purpose of this note is to describe a classroom activity that can be used in introductory Operations Research courses. It consists of modelling a one-dimensional puzzle using mathematical programming to produce glider models. The exercise is designed to motivate the students in solving a problem with the opportunity of producing by themselves a real product. The activity can be performed in pairs where each student will have a glider model if an optimal solution is found.