GATE 2026 ES – Question 5

General Aptitude · Spatial Aptitude: Spatial Reasoning and Visualization · 1 mark · Multiple choice

Six coins show heads H or tails T. The Starting Arrangement is H H H T T T and the Final Arrangement is T T T H H H, as illustrated. One step interchanges adjacent coins without flipping either coin. Find the minimum number of steps.

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Correct answer: (C) 9

Explanation

Each of the three H coins must cross each of the three T coins, requiring 3×3=9 reversals of H–T order. One adjacent interchange changes only one such crossing, so at least nine steps are needed. Moving each T left across all three H coins achieves exactly nine. **C**.

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