Jump to content
BrainDen.com - Brain Teasers

bonanova

Moderator
  • Posts

    6975
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    66

Everything posted by bonanova

  1. Wondering what happened to the spoiler tag in previous post, and why I can't edit it to fix. So the 11 equations in previous post are uncertain as well. They reduce to 13A -8S -V = -40 6A -16S +8V = -605A - 2V = -27which have the unlikely solutions S = 64/11 A = 21/11 V = 201/11 Which is where I'll leave it, as I have dinner to eat. It's solved in principle. Which is to say, A, S and V are correct, [but the constants may be wrong]
  2. I worked a long puzzle earlier today and didn't have the heart for this one, although it's less complicated than the one I did do. Aren't you glad I shared that?
  3. Bravo. Not a drop wasted. Party time, Alex buys.
  4. Half a pint on the house for a good try, nonetheless. But you should know that Jamie and the boys would have run you out of Morty's, forever, for spoiling the party. Can you do it [and maybe put the solution into a spoiler] without wasting any of the good stuff? And remember, you can't drink any of it, until the puzzle is solved.
  5. Clarification: [a*a]+26? -or- a*[a+26]?
  6. Standard rules - a pour is a transfer from one container to another. Each pour completely [a] fills the receiving vessel or empties the donating vessel. Why on earth would you want to dump or drink any of this stuff? Oh wait, ... never mind. Hope that answers.
  7. According to a recent poll of everybody ... four.
  8. This blonde had a boyfriend who insisted on embarrassing her in front of their friends. You have to stop telling those stupid, blonde jokes, Phil, she finally said. They're insulting, sexist, ridiculous, childish, boring and in just really bad taste! Besides, you're wrong about me. I may be blonde, but I am NOT DUMB. I'm reasonably smart, fairly current on things, well informed and it's just not appropriate for you to make fun of me. In fact I'm sick and tired of it, and I don't want to hear any more asinine blonde jokes, especially when we're with our friends, ever again, not one more time! DO YOU UNDERSTAND? She thought about what she'd told him, that night, and cast about for a way to prove to Phil her intellectual strengths. What can I learn that will impress him? she thought. It can't be TOO difficult, but if I could think of something that not just everyone knows. That would surely put a stop the all those insulting jokes. I know, she thought, I'll memorize the Capitals of all 50 States. I bet there's not many people who know all 50 of them. The next afternoon she brought home an armload of reference books from the Library, and after dinner she sat at the table and began to pore over them. Ten O'clock passed, midnight, two o'clock in the morning. Finally, at 2:30 am she had done it; she had memorized the capitals of all 50 states. As fate would have it, the next evening she and Phil were partying with their friends. Phil, who obviously had not taken her objections seriously, rattled off a stupid blonde joke first chance he got. The blonde was furious. She screamed at him, much to the interest of the friends. Stop it! she said, I told you, no more of those insulting, inapproprate jokes! I told you that I'm blonde, but I'm not stupid. I'm smart! I'm SO smart, in fact, that I happen to know the capitals of all 50 states, and what's more, I can PROVE it! All 50 states? he asked. Wow, that's impressive, I guess I misjudged you. I am truly sorry. OK. Great. Well, let's see, then. Ah, here's one. What's the capital of, oh, say ... Wyoming? The blonde rolled her eyes. C'mon, give me a challenge, will ya? she said. That one is so easy! It's ..... W!
  9. This brunette drives to the emergency room and asks for help. I hurt, everywhere! she told the doctor. I'm afraid I'll need something more specific, he said. Well, I hurt here, as she touched her knee; and here, as she touched her ankle; and here and here and here ... as she touched, in turn, her wrist, her stomach, her nose, her neck, and her backside. Dumbstruck, the doctor ordered a CAT scan, an MRI and he called his neurologist colleague in to consult. After a couple hours, he returned. You're not really a brunette, are you? he asked. No, I'm not, she confessed. How did you know? Your finger is broken.
  10. I've got a sweet little dice game for ya, boys, and I'll even help you figure your chances. I know how you hate doing that. When Alex offers to help, people generally walk the other way. But this is Morty's, and none of the blokes there wants to be thought of as timid. So they sauntered over to Alex's table, where he had laid a sheet of paper, with the numbers 1-6 written, each in its little box: +---+---+---+ | 1 | 2 | 3 | +---+---+---+ | 4 | 5 | 6 | +---+---+---+ Now here's the game, my laddies... You lay your bet on one of those numbers. Then you roll these three dice here. If your number shows up, you get double your bet returned. What do you say? Davey and Ian weren't sure. Jamie, after thinking a bit, asked what if my number comes up twice? Shouldn't I get something extra for that? You're astute beyond your years, said Alex. Here, and I promised to help figure the game out. So, let's go through it, OK? Suppose you bet all six numbers. If no number comes up twice, then you'd double your money on three of your bets, and you'd lose your money on the other three. So that way, it's an even game. So what you're asking for is a little something extra if the dice aren't all different. Well you caught me in a good mood tonight, and here's what I'll do. You bet your number, and roll the dice. If your number comes up once, you win double, just like before. But now, if it comes up twice, I'll make it triple, and if it shows up on all three dice, I'll give ya four times your bet. How's that? Jamie thought a moment, and he was about to reply, when Ian walked to the table and said, Outta my way, Jamie, I'll play! Would you have played?
  11. I think this is very close to a solution. On first read, I didn't appreciate how close. It is the last utterance that gives it away; the rest of what's said doesn't help us. As it stands, tho, the imperative "shoot him" has no truth value, so it can't contradict anything. But change it to a declarative "you should therefore shoot him" and it becomes an incorrect conclusion for "he is a liar." [1] thus exposes himself as the liar. ... or a poor logician ... or a good candidate for Survivor! <!-- s;) --><!-- s;) -->
  12. Take a look at these mugs, would ya! Ian and Davey glanced at Alex, who was holding the biggest pair of ale mugs anyone ever saw. Jamie arrived next, out of breath, from across the room. Crap, he said, I thought you said jugs. Annie left an hour ago, chided Alex, you need your ears cleaned. But now that I have your attention ... I've measured these beauties, and they hold exactly 4 pints, raising the blue mug in his left hand, and 5 pints, looking at the green mug in his right. What's more, I've asked the barkeep to fill those two 10-pint pitchers over on the bar. Now here's my challenge for ya ... If any of you geniuses can put exactly 2 pints of ale into each of these mugs here, I'll buy the whole 20 pints. Then we'll party. But think well and choose wisely, as they say, cuz if ya take the bet and can't get it done in fewer than 10 pourings, then you'll be buying the drinks. Poor Jamie. He never saw a bet he didn't like. After all the others passed, he gave it a try. Any way Jamie won the bet?
  13. Using cap first letters for names. Blue is given; Red is conclusion. M is F; F iff Liar Q is A; If A then Truthteller. ---------------------- M will lie; Q will tell truth. All A is B; Some B is A; Some B is C; All C is B. All D is either B or G; All G is F; No F is B. If DB then H. ---------------------- Truthtellers are A, B, C and H Liars are F and G. D's are mixed: and [G]. =============now the story============== [1]: I am A. Innocuous. T or F. [2]: I am A. Innocuous. T or F. [1]: I am B. Innocuous. T or F. [2]: [1] lies; [1] is G. Innocuous; consistent. Both T or both F. [1]: [2] lies; [2] is H; [2] is D. Inconsistent. Cannot all be true. [1] is M, and I shoot him.
  14. Once accomplished, a former quitter.
  15. the second alien I'll use initial letters, and denote first alien by [1] and second alien by [2]. Suppose [1] is M and [2] is Q. Then the statements lead to this: [1] is A, ^F, B and ^G [2] is ^A, F, H, D -> BvG -- that is, [2] is B or [2] is G Because No F's are B, that means [2] is G which means .... OK I'm lost. I think the clues aren't sufficient. Let me ask: Does "Some Borfids are Arfids, and some are Cofids." allow for B's that are neither A nor C? Does "only Foslings lie" and "All Goslings are Foslings" lead to a contradiction? i.e. Goslings don't lie, because only Foslings lie, but Goslings do lie beacause they are Foslings? This is interesting, but I'm stuck. I'll revisit after some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's
  16. Interesting point. The first timepieces [OK, first there were sundials, the ultimate analog timepiece] had pendulums and escapements, so the hands paused each second. Same deal with pocket and wrist watches [wheels instead of pendula]. The synchronous motor clock had hands that moved continuously, like the sundial shadow. Then LED battery burners and LCD battery savers - both devoid of analog [moving] parts [except a tiny piece of quarts vibrated like crazy] completed the picture. The question rules out sundials and digitals, but doesn't specify re: discrete/continuous analog. One might admit 61, 61.017... or 62 as correct. Depends on the paper grader sometimes, too. p.s. I remember first time I came across the approach I outlined above. A real AHA moment, cuz of early childhood attempts to mentally solve this. The second hand goes around once. But by then the minute hand went around by a 60th of a rotation. OK, so move the second hand a 60th of a rotation. But then the minute hand moved a 3600th of a rotation. Darn. What do you do with an infinite series? Even when you can do the series, how much nicer to just divide 3600 by 59? It didn't originate with me. I just remembered so vividly when I first read it, it stayed with me.
  17. Boy, I hear ya. Those anti-hemi-dodecahedron licenses really bite. For the interested, the walkways [ and I guess Petersen gets the stipend ] look like this. The equal-length version is on the right. . . . . .
  18. Hint - start on Monday [when Alex said they would next meet] and work the schedule back until a common day is found. Then note this all happens yesterday, and today is the day of the answer.
  19. Good point. And that said, why would it take an entire day to dig 1/1,000,000,000,000,000th of a hole, which actually is 1 hole?
  20. From noon to 1:00 [3600 seconds] this event happens exactly 59 times [not 60, cuz the minute hand made a revolution, too], at equal intervals. Crossings therefore occur every 61.01694915254237288135593220339 seconds. Approximately.
  21. LOL - do I at least get the Cracker Jacks also? I noticed crumbs on the floor so I can only assume the worst. You're on an interesting track. Squares inside squares, circles inside circles, pentagons within pentagons? They received a note from Petersen that mentioned unit graphs, whatever that is. They were about to reach for the phone to call him, but Google might be even faster .... That's all I can think of. Good luck, but hurry: that fat consultant check might go to JP.
×
×
  • Create New...