Brain Teaser No 1

Bam has gone very quiet of late, and given that Fermat pegged out before he had chance to publish his 'elegant' solution to a difficult problem, I have had this fear that Bam might follow suit!!

However, all is well. Not only is bam still in this world, but he is canvassing further attempts at his ladder problem.

Lots of spare time? Simply...

...work out an elegant solution to the ladder problem in the Brain teaser thread.

Cheers

Don

DON

09:10 AM

STEVE D

What time is it?

09.10 am it is.

Anybody else care to elaborate? (before we get back to the ladder)

Cheers

Don

We could do it in our heads, or we could write an equation,

3(10.00 - now) = now + 0.20 - 7.00

using minutes from midnight as a more convenient unit,

3(600 - now) = now + 20 - 420
1800 - 3now = now - 400
2200 = 4now
now = 550

550 minutes after midnight is 0910.

QED, cogito ergo sum, ipso facto, illegitimi non bollocks etc.

Paul

As Paul R says

We could do it in our heads, or we could write an equation,

OK, OK, so the 5 minutes were far too generous........except thats how long it took me, being an old slowcoach!!

Cheers

Don

When I did it 'in my head' I added 20 minutes to 10am, which gives 3 hours 20 minutes from 7am, 200 minutes. I divided that by 4 and multiplied by 3 to find out how long Paul would have been driving at the coffee break, 150 minutes. Now is 20 minutes earlier than that, so now is 150-20 minutes after 7am, which is 9.10.

I think that is harder to follow, and the shifting 20 minutes back and forward isn't explained, and is hard to explain.

Paul

Having a pint the other day in our local, and picking up the glass, I noticed the 'wet ring' left by my glass on the bar. Next time I picked up the pint, I noticed there was a second circle, overlapping the first so that the centre of each circle was on the perimeter of the other. What a sad life!! But wait, it gets worse!!!

This time I put the pint down VERY carefully, so that the perimeter of the third circle passed through the centres of the first two and the centre of the third circle was on the perimeter of the first two!!! Told you it got worse!!!

Have a quick look at the attached picture if you're still with me!

Now the bit in the middle that is common to all three circles looked a bit interesting. That’s the bit that I've shaded in the pic. I felt that it looked to be a bit smaller in area than one quarter of the area of one wet ring. The barman, didn't agree and felt it looked a bit bigger than a quarter of the whole circle.

Who was right?

Cheers

Don

Was that after eight or nine pints?

It is smaller then one quarter.

Will let others play before I give you my solution.

Matthew

Now this puzzle is superior to the others so far in the sense that it provides such a good excuse for a trip to the pub. Fantastic. I shall be trying this experimentally in due course. Meanwhile, I'm with Matthew.
Cheers,
BAM

Appart from Bam's ladder problem, there are a few unanswered teasers in the previous 30 pages!!

I'm aware of Omer's 'paratroop' problem and somebody asked about air temperatures in aircarft at 37,000 feet where the outside air temperature is minus 57 deg C. There may be a few more!

I haven't given the answer to my 'Bristol Hifi Show' teaser. But then nobody has tried to answer it yet

Any chance those who posted questions could post the answers.

Cheers

Don

Would people prefer more time to tackle Bam's Ladder problem, or do you think Bam has had enough time to work the answer out(or his excuse!)

For those who need a quick review, I think the question appeared on page 13, just before Xmas 2001

Cheers

Don

PS see also the last post on page 31.

RichardN

I would ask "If I were to ask someone of the other species which way it was to the space ship which way would he direct me?"

I would hten go the other way.

Matthew

Richard N says

I'm a bit concerned about your Bristol HiFi show problem. I'd invest more time in it if I was sure that "X enjoys listening to his Linn Sondek" related in someway to "Y went home to listen to music on his Linn Sondek". (I'm quoting from memory). For all we know all of them could own a Linn Sondek, even those who also have a CDS-II.

You can safely assume there is only one LP12, one cdsii and only one NAP500 in the group. Also the one who enjoys vinyl is also the LP12 owner etc etc. The slight variation in words was only to avoid monotony, not to be deceptive!

There shouldn't be any 'tricks', it really is just a case of matching the descriptions.

Cheers

Don

Omer says

There was a minor question whether there was a faster solution, but that's easy and not not interesting enough to raise it back from the dead...

Errrrr, Omer, Would you care to raise it back from the dead ? it wasn't too easy for me (in fact i'm completely stuck!) You don't want to gain a reputation like Bam ?

Please?

Cheers

Don

Oops, wrong thread.

I don't recall the paratrooper saga having an unsatisfactory ending, do I really have to page back to look?

As for BAM. I've got him on my list.

Paul

I don't recall the paratrooper saga having an unsatisfactory ending, do I really have to page back to look?

Page 15, about half way down, 8th Jan 2002.

Astronomers and physics teachers would be perfectly happy with Richard's solution. But if Omer says there is a better one, then mathemeticians would struggle and have sleepless nights!

I'm no mathematician, but just in case I ever have to bale out of my aircraft I'd like to BE SURE i will find my student as quickly as possible (or vice-verca).

Can't sleep, can't think outside the box, am stuck on "walk south until you find your mate's chute, then run to catch him up"

Please help (Omer?, Richard?......)

Cheers

Don

Which of the United States of America has the most easterly coastline?

Cheers

Don

Israel

Hi Vuk,
I agree with you. Also, judging by the miserable weather here in the UK today I would rather the British Empire had consolidated itself in the Middle East or other more clement outposts like India or the Sandwich Islands, rather than contracting back to this northerly place. I think the English must have a fetish for shit weather: this may also explain the dogged retension of the Falkland Islands.
BAM

Speaking of inclement, the most Easterly coast of the USA is one such place. At first I thought it was the luscious Sandwich Islands but Midway is only about 177deg West. The Aleutians actually cross the 180deg line with Attu being on the extremity at 173deg East.

Giving the answer as Alaska?

Matthew

Another one for you.

A ship entered the Panama Canal at its west end, passed through the canal, and left at its east end. However, immediately after it left the canal, it entered the Pacific Ocean. If the ship did not double back or sail backwards, how could this he?

You have three identical books and a flat, level table. How far can you make the three books overhang the edge of the table without them falling to the floor?
BAM
(No Don, you cannot use glue )

First, why would anybody have three IDENTICAL books? Thats a brain teaser in itself.

Of course, its xmas and you've just bought copies of Mark Levinson's guide to female multiple orgasms, one for the wife, one for your mum and one for the mother-in-law!

Now it's very obvious to visualise a balanced cantilever with two books cantilevered in opposite directions atop the third which is balanced along its centreline........and hence very obviously NOT the right answer to say one book length.

So I won't, even though I just did.

Cheers

Don