Excel BI - Excel Challenge 896

excel-challenges

excel-formulas

🔰 Find the Final color.

Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Excel BI - Excel Challenge 896

Challenge Description

🔰 Find the Final color.

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path <- "Excel/800-899/896/896 Color Mixing.xlsx"
input <- read_excel(path, range = "A1:A20")
test <- read_excel(path, range = "B1:B20")

mix <- function(x, y) {
  if (x == y) x else setdiff(c("r", "b", "y"), c(x, y))
}

result <- input %>%
  mutate(
    `Answer Expected` = map_chr(
      `Color Codes`,
      ~ Reduce(mix, str_split(.x, "")[[1]])
    )
  ) %>%
  select(`Answer Expected`)

all_equal(result, test)
# [1] TRUE

Logic: Read the workbook ranges needed for the challenge; Derive the required intermediate columns; Parse the packed text or string structure.
Strengths: The code maps the workbook rule into a compact, reproducible pipeline.
Areas for Improvement: The solution assumes the workbook layout and selected ranges remain stable, so any structural change in the sheet would require small adjustments.
Gem: The elegant part is how little code is needed once the correct intermediate representation is chosen.

import pandas as pd

path = "Excel/800-899/896/896 Color Mixing.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="A", nrows=20)
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B", nrows=20)

def mix(x, y):
    if x == y:
        return x
    else:
        return list(set(['r', 'b', 'y']) - set([x, y]))[0]

def reduce_mix(code):
    from functools import reduce
    return reduce(mix, list(code))

input['Answer Expected'] = input['Color Codes'].apply(lambda x: reduce_mix(str(x)))
result = input[['Answer Expected']]

print(result.equals(test))

The Python version mirrors the same workbook logic with a concise, direct implementation.

Difficulty Level

Easy / Medium

The business rule is clear, though the workbook still needs a few transformation steps to reach the expected output.