Salon - - Ok! this one stumps me.

rondon · #1 10-21-2005, 06:01 AM

http://trunks.secondfoundation.org/files/psychic.swf

Caitlin · #2 10-21-2005, 06:57 AM

Do you really want the answer?

Spoiler space..

Highlight to reveal:
Every combination results in the same symbol. The symbol is changed every round, but it is the same for any number you pick. Clever though!

Panpan · #3 10-21-2005, 07:29 AM

Caitlin beat me to it!

Every legal answer for double-digit numbers results in a multiple of 9. The Excel formula is =a1-(int(a1/10)+mod(a1,10)) where a1 is the number you chose. This simplifies to =9*int(a1/10). For example, 12 gives a result of 9; 22 gives 18; 32 gives 27; etc.

All those multiples have the same symbol on the web page. (The symbol for 0 is also the same although 0 is not a possible result). The symbols change randomly for each attempt to make things more mysterious.

Pierre

rondon · #4 10-21-2005, 08:35 AM

ok I see... back to the riddles of my era:

so if an egg and a half cost a cent and a half what does a dozen cost?

Marthig · #5 10-21-2005, 03:54 PM

12 ?

rondon · #6 10-21-2005, 04:05 PM

..................

Marthig · #7 10-21-2005, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondon

..................

hehe

I did it !

have just remembered one

:

how much is the half of two plus two

Caitlin · #8 10-21-2005, 05:54 PM

3? (Depending on where the brackets are...)

rondon · #9 10-21-2005, 05:57 PM

....................

kschulz · #10 10-21-2005, 09:14 PM

2 and 3 are both correct - depending on where the brackets are, like Caitlin said.

Marthig · #11 10-22-2005, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kschulz

2 and 3 are both correct - depending on where the brackets are, like Caitlin said.

The riddle, puzzle or whatever the name is, is from those typical school (pre- algebra times) things.
Mainly a word game I would say. The brackets would make it lose the fun

The answer as I was taught is 3 -and the "formula" would be: the half of 2+(2)

P.S.: I am from Rondon's times, even older I think

Caitlin · #12 10-22-2005, 08:23 AM

Can someone explain the egg and a half one to me? I don't quite 'get' what the riddle is supposed to be?

kschulz · #13 10-22-2005, 09:35 AM

Caitlin,

I think the point of the riddle is realizing that solving it shouldn't be as difficult as one might think (some might do a lot more math than needed because the "fractional" aspect makes them think they need to). Once you realize that an egg costs a cent, its easy to see what a dozen costs without much thought.

- Kurt

rondon · #14 10-22-2005, 10:46 AM

Another that I used to enjoy more was nearly as simple,

On the way back from a fishing trip one man said to the other... give me one of your fish and we will be even... the other said well give me one of yours and I will have twice as many ... how many did each man have?

Panpan · #15 10-22-2005, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kschulz

2 and 3 are both correct - depending on where the brackets are, like Caitlin said.

If the answer were 3, there was the opportunity to put a comma in the sentence to avoid ambiguity: "How much is the half of two, plus two?" Since there is none, the better answer is 2.

Pierre