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We start with

1=850-4-3 as the cotton swab equation, incorrect of course.

By moving 3 swabs or less create a correct equation. It is a standard digital display. You may use numbers, roman numerals or letters in standard digital display. If you use roman numerals, 1 willl have 2 swabs, C will have 4, D will have 6, L will have 3, V and X will have 4, M will have 6. No inequalities or > or <. No significant space creation to insert swabs. Rearranging is a move. No Removing or adding swabs. Use any math functions. Minus and Divide use 1 swab. Plus and multiply and equal to use 2 swabs. enter image description here

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    $\begingroup$ if it's a standard LED, how do you do equals? $\endgroup$
    – JMP
    Mar 25, 2017 at 16:28
  • $\begingroup$ Do letters have any significance? Do they count for anything, count for nothing? Why would we use them? Can a 1 be the same as a capital i? Or are they not actually intended to be used? $\endgroup$
    – n_plum
    Mar 25, 2017 at 20:18
  • $\begingroup$ Yes n_palum. Of course roman numerals are letters but there are others. 1 can be used as I. You are on right track $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Mar 27, 2017 at 13:26

5 Answers 5

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With only one swab moved:

1=8e0-4-3 In standard scientific notation: 1=8e0-4-3

And one funny with 3 swabs moved:

I don't think anything in the question prevents me to view the picture rotated, so: 3 swabs and view from above Viewed from above: 59-058=1

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  • $\begingroup$ Isn't 8e0 = 1? So 8e0-4-3 = -6? $\endgroup$
    – stack reader
    Mar 27, 2017 at 1:13
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    $\begingroup$ @stackreader 8e0= 8*(10^0) $\endgroup$
    – Destructible Lemon
    Mar 27, 2017 at 2:13
  • $\begingroup$ @DestructibleLemon oh I see. I didn't think this long enough. I thought(8^0) haha. $\endgroup$
    – stack reader
    Mar 27, 2017 at 2:39
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In 2:

7 = 050 - 43, in 2 by moving middle 8 to left 1 and removing the minus between 4 and 3. BUT we are not allowed to remove swabs, and after a LOT of searching, I found this - a droopy 7 : http://www.josepino.com/microcontroller/7-segment-ascii

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  • $\begingroup$ JonMark The rule says no Removing or adding $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Mar 25, 2017 at 16:40
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1-000=4-3. Calculator forgives the leading 0's.
1=850-4-3 (the starting point)
1-850=4-3 (by moving ='s top swab to the first - to make - and =)
1-090=4-3 (by moving 8's central swab to 5 to make a 0 and 9)
1-000=4-3 (by moving 9's central swab to it's corner convert 9 to 0)

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  • $\begingroup$ Innovative way of getting there green eggs. My answer is still out there. $\endgroup$
    – DrD
    Mar 28, 2017 at 21:01
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A different way of looking at it using Letters

1 = 850 - 4 - 3 START

C850 - 4 - 3 TWO SWABS FROM = SIGN USED TO TURN 1 INTO C

COS0 = 4 - 3 SWAB FROM 8 REMOVED TO MAKE IT O AND MOVED TO MAKE THE - SIGN =

COS0 = 4-3 = 1 THIS WORKS BECAUSE ZERO CAN BE O AND 5 CAN BE S

Cos of 0 is 1

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0 moves: upside-down (h as variable being E-59);

or assuming 1 replaced by a capital I

1 move: as 1=8e0-4-3

2 moves: @JonMark Perry

3 moves: @Deepak Mahulikar

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  • $\begingroup$ But 8e0 is $8^0=1$, so 1=8e0-4-3 isn't correct. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Aug 23, 2017 at 15:09
  • $\begingroup$ That could be read as 8 * e^0, which would make it correct. $\endgroup$
    – Herb
    Aug 23, 2017 at 15:31

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