A Rigorous Analysis of the Frog Puzzle via

Recurrence Relations and Operational Calculus

December 20, 2024

Problem Formulation
Let G = {g1 , g2 , . . . , gn } represent the set of n green frogs, and Y = {y1 , y2 , . . . , yn }
represent the set of n yellow frogs. The initial state, Σ0 , is given by G ⊕ [ ] ⊕ Y,
where [ ] represents an empty space. The objective is to transform Σ0 to the
final state Σf = Y ⊕ [ ] ⊕ G with the minimum number of allowed moves. A
move µ is defined as a single frog transitioning to an adjacent empty spot, either
by direct move or a jump over a single frog.

Mathematical Framework
State Space
The state space, S, is isomorphic to the set of all valid permutations of frogs and
the empty space. The transition between states is defined by allowed moves.
We are interested in a path P = {Σ0 , Σ1 , . . . , Σk = Σf } where k is minimized.

Transition Operator
Define the transition operator T̂ ∈ L(S, S) which, when applied to a state Σi ,
yields the next valid state Σi+1 after a single valid move µ. The move µ is an
element of a set M of allowed moves.

Minimum Steps Function

Define S(n) as the minimum number of steps (applications of T̂ ) required to
reach Σf from Σ0 . This can be expressed as:

S(n) = min{k | T̂ k Σ0 = Σf }

1
Derivation of the Recurrence Relation
It’s observed that solving the problem for n pairs involves transforming the
problem from the configuration with n − 1 pairs, then moving the n-th green
and yellow frogs, and recursively finishing using S(n − 1) steps again. Let’s
denote this observation as:

S(n) = S(n − 1) + steps to relocate the nth pair + S(n − 1)

The step-count to move the nth green and yellow frogs and swap them can
be shown to be exactly 2n + 1. Then:

S(n) = S(n − 1) + 2n + 1

with the base case:

S(1) = 3

Operational Calculus and Generating Function

Approach
Let’s define the generating function for S(n) as:
∞
X
F (z) = S(n)z n
n=1

The recurrence relation can be rewritten as:

S(n) − S(n − 1) = 2n + 1, ∀n ≥ 2
Multiply both sides by z n and sum over n ≥ 2:
∞
X ∞
X ∞
X
S(n)z n − S(n − 1)z n = (2n + 1)z n
n=2 n=2 n=2

∞
X
F (z) − S(1)z − z (F (z) − S(1)z) = (2n + 1)z n
n=2
1
P∞
Using the formula for the geometric series, 1−z = n=0 z n , and by differ-
entiation and algebraic manipulation:
∞ ∞
!
2d X
n
X
F (z) − 3z − zF (z) + 3z = 2z z + zn
dz n=2 n=2
2
z2
 
d z
(1 − z)F (z) = 3z − 3z 2 + 2z +
dz 1−z 1−z

2
 2z(1 − z) + z 2 z2
 
(1 − z)F (z) = 3z − 3z 2 + 2z +
(1 − z)2 1−z
Simplifying, we get:
4z 2 −2z 3 z2
3z − 3z 2 + (1−z)2 + 1−z
F (z) =
1−z
3z(1 − z) − 3z (1 − z) + 4z 2 (1 − z) + 2z 3 + z 2 (1 − z)
2 2
F (z) =
(1 − z)3
3z − 6z 2 + 3z 3 − 3z 2 + 3z 3 + 4z 2 − 4z 3 + 2z 3 + z 2 − z 3
F (z) =
(1 − z)3
3z − 4z 2 + z 3
F (z) =
(1 − z)3

z(3 − 4z + z 2 ) z(3 − z)(1 − z) z(3 − z)

F (z) = = =
(1 − z)3 (1 − z)3 (1 − z)2
z(3−z) 2z z
Using partial fraction decomposition (1−z)2 = (1−z)2 + (1−z) and well known
Taylor series expansions:
∞
X ∞
X
F (z) = (2n)z n + zn
n=1 n=1

∞
X
F (z) = (2n + 1)z n − z
n=1

We now have that S(n) = 2n + 1∀n > 1

Direct Solution by Summation

We sum the terms explicitly, considering base case S(1) = 3:

n
X
S(n) = S(1) + (2k + 1)
k=2
n
X n
X
=3+2 k+ 1
k=2 k=2
 
n(n + 1)
=3+2 − 1 + (n − 1)
2
= 3 + n(n + 1) − 2 + n − 1
= n2 + 2n

3
Final Result
The minimum number of moves is given by:

S(n) = n(n + 2)