Kirkman's schoolgirl problem

proper noun

A problem in combinatorics, in which 15 schoolgirls go walking three abreast for seven days in succession, and must be arranged so that no two walk abreast more than once.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. mathematicsA problem in combinatorics, in which 15 schoolgirls go walking three abreast for seven days in succession, and must be arranged so that no two walk abreast more than once.

Origin

Proposed by Rev. Thomas Penyngton Kirkman in 1850.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Kirkman's schoolgirl problem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirkman's%20schoolgirl%20problem

MLA

“Kirkman's schoolgirl problem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirkman's%20schoolgirl%20problem. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Kirkman's schoolgirl problem,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Kirkman's%20schoolgirl%20problem.

Source: Kirkman's schoolgirl problem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.