Author Topic: Puzzle  (Read 21487 times)

Offline Mince

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #45 on: December 17, 2006, 11:58:47 PM »
Also a 36 year old kid would be too old to have a grandmother in all probablility.

Also, it's unlikely that a woman who is 36 years old would have a child of the same age.

Offline The Peepmaster

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #46 on: December 18, 2006, 03:56:53 PM »
Also a 36 year old kid would be too old to have a grandmother in all probablility.

Also, it's unlikely that a woman who is 36 years old would have a child of the same age.

I agree, she would have had to have married fairly young. Didn't spot that. It'll be the 2, 3 & 6 answer then...
Nostalgia is not what it used to be. 😟

Offline Mince

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #47 on: December 18, 2006, 05:12:08 PM »
No.

It helps if you write out all the sets of three values that multiply to give 36. There are seven different sets.

Fyodor

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #48 on: December 18, 2006, 06:54:23 PM »
Oh Peepmaster, I thought you were inflammable, but you have proved me wrong.
Here's your original puzzle:

Add one of these symbols: + - / x

to the following so that it makes sense: l0 l0 l0 = 950


I think you must agree that one of the allowed symbols is "/" and when it is added to the"=" it produces the symbol for not equal to.
One rests one's case.

Offline The Peepmaster

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #49 on: December 18, 2006, 07:14:06 PM »
I think you're quite right Fyodor. You have indeed put the divide symbol over the equals sign in the same way as one can put the minus sign on top of the second number 1.
I hadn't realised an "isn't equal to" symbol existed. I also think that Tom's answer "l0 l0 l0 = 950 x" technically works.

My goodness, there are 3 answers it would seem.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2006, 10:50:51 PM by The Peepmaster »
Nostalgia is not what it used to be. 😟

Tom

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #50 on: December 18, 2006, 10:49:06 PM »
Bit tricky, the answers to these puzzles.

Are there any puzzles which have only one answer?  ??? :-\

Offline Mince

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #51 on: December 19, 2006, 10:42:41 PM »
Okay, here is the answer.

These are the sets of three numbers that multiply to give 36, along with the house number (the sum of the three numbers).

1 2 18  add to 21
1 3 12  add to 16
1 4 9   add to 14
1 6 6   add to 13
2 2 9   add to 13
2 3 6   add to 11
3 3 4   add to 10

We don't know the door number, but the mathematician does. Let's say the door number was 21. The mathematician would have known that the ages were 1, 2 and 18. So if the door number was 21, the mathematician would have continued to the next house. But he didn't. He could not work out the ages. He had to go back for more information. The only reason he would do this is that the door number would not be enough. But if the door number is 21 or 16 or 14 or 11 or 10, this is enough. So it cannot be any of those numbers. The door number must be 13 (as there are two sets of numbers that add to 13). If the door number was 13, he would not know whether the ages were 1 6 6 or 2 2 9. And this is why he had to go back for more information. The knowledge that the youngest one is at Grandma's rules out 2 2 9, as there is no youngest one. So the answer is 1 6 6.

Offline The Peepmaster

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #52 on: December 20, 2006, 12:54:49 AM »
No. As I explained earlier, I am the youngest of twins. I was born 9 hours after my brother. I could have been the youngest at my Grandmothers, and still have been 2, the same age as my twin brother. You think it doesn't matter? In law it does. He is "the eldest".
Nostalgia is not what it used to be. 😟

Offline Mince

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Re: Puzzle
« Reply #53 on: December 20, 2006, 05:09:17 AM »
The law does not apply to Puzzle Land.