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Ball in a Hole


rookie1ja
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1. Stick a double sided tape at the end of a string and lower it into hole. Ball wil stick to tape and will come out.

2. Pour water inside hole. Ball being lite, will float and come out.

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Guest just jane

:rolleyes:

Why can't you just suck the ball out? <!-- s:mrgreen: --><!-- s:mrgreen: -->

THERE IS A THING CALLED A VACUME CLEANER USE IT ,THE BALL WILL FLOAT SO YOU WILL NOT SUCK UP WATER

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Sure, if you have lungs to suck it out of let's say 0.5 metre deep pipe <!-- s:) --><!-- s:) --> .

... that and the fact that the 0.5 meter deep pipe doesn't have an opening on the bottom. With no opening on the other end, air can not enter the pipe from the other end. You would need air to enter the pipe from below the table tennis ball to create the lift on the table tennis ball. Try sucking through a straw while your finger completely covers the other end of the straw. No air flow.

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OK. My thought to the original version of the puzzle (which doesn't specify that you only have certain items) was this. I would get a long straight wooden pole that is smaller in width than the inside of the pipe. So, it fits into the pipe. Then I would chew up a big wad of sticky bubble gum, stick the gum on the end of the stick and push it down the pipe onto the ping pong ball. Then the ball sticks to the gum and I pull the ball out.

I also like the answer posted earlier of simply filling the pipe with water.

Now here is my answer to the second version where I am stuck in a room with no doors or windows and the only items I have are a fork, a wrench, and a long, thin plastic wire.

MY ANSWER:

I AM STUCK IN A ROOM WITH NO DOORS OR WINDOWS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

ALL I HAVE IS THIS STUPID FORK, WRENCH AND LONG, THIN PLASTIC WIRE!

Why would I give a darn about the ping pong ball at this point?! I could care less about the ping pong ball!

I want to know how I am going to get out of this room! And when I do find a way out... I want to know how the heck I got into that room in the first place! :)

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oysterboy22!!! I just read the answer. Hilarious!!! But, that would work, even in a room with no door and no windows.

Now, we have a new riddle.

We are now stuck in a room with no doors and no windows. All we have in our possesion is a fork, a wrench, a long, thin, plastic wire... and a dripping wet ping pong ball. Now, how do we get out of this room?!

[i do not have an answer for this. I just thought it was a funny scenario worth mentioning for a laugh... or at least a chuckle.]

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Here's the original problem: A table tennis ball (= a ping pong ball) fell into a tight deep pipe - it is about 30 cm long, buried in concrete pavement, having firm metal bottom, only 1 cm of the pipe is above the ground so it can not be moved. The pipe was only a bit wider then the ball, so you can not use your hand. How would you take it out, with no damage?

The phrase "with no damage" tends to rule out pouring water or peeing in the hole since (a) we know the pipe has a metal bottom and (B) we don't know what else could be in the pipe or what the pipe is to be used for. Corrosion from water or urine can be significant and we can't assume that the metal bottom is sufficiently protected from it. In practical terms then, a solvent-based cement on the end of a long thin rod would work by lowering the rod into the hole until it contacts the ball, leaving it there until the cement sets then pulling out the ball once it is attached to the rod. The ball can later be removed from the rod using solvent. To use a vacuum or pressure differential solutions would require some pretty fancy engineering to make sure the pressure release would be sudden enought to pop the ball out and even then we don't know how tightly the ball is stuck in the hole.

Pouring alcohol down the hole might work but again, we don't know what else might be in the pipe that could get damaged plus the expense of the alcohol would likely be greater than that of the cement and solvent.

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Here's the original problem: A table tennis ball (= a ping pong ball) fell into a tight deep pipe - it is about 30 cm long, buried in concrete pavement, having firm metal bottom, only 1 cm of the pipe is above the ground so it can not be moved. The pipe was only a bit wider then the ball, so you can not use your hand. How would you take it out, with no damage?

The phrase "with no damage" tends to rule out pouring water or peeing in the hole since (a) we know the pipe has a metal bottom and (B) we don't know what else could be in the pipe or what the pipe is to be used for. Corrosion from water or urine can be significant and we can't assume that the metal bottom is sufficiently protected from it. In practical terms then, a solvent-based cement on the end of a long thin rod would work by lowering the rod into the hole until it contacts the ball, leaving it there until the cement sets then pulling out the ball once it is attached to the rod. The ball can later be removed from the rod using solvent. To use a vacuum or pressure differential solutions would require some pretty fancy engineering to make sure the pressure release would be sudden enought to pop the ball out and even then we don't know how tightly the ball is stuck in the hole.

Pouring alcohol down the hole might work but again, we don't know what else might be in the pipe that could get damaged plus the expense of the alcohol would likely be greater than that of the cement and solvent.

Well, I don't think sucking the ball out would be possible, but I would think the ball could be "blown" out. If you blow enough air pressure down the hole, the air will push the ping pong ball back to the top. I've seen this done in a local "imaginarium" center. The air goes down one side of the tube, then is forced back up the other side of the tube, carrying the ball with it. You would have to have one heck of a set of lungs to do this with-out some type of compressor.

As for getting out of the room, is there a mirror and a table? Or even a baseball bat? Either one could get you out of the room. :D

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I would drink a lot of water and wait to get a real urge to pee. I would then do this into the pipe - causing the ball to rise!

could you not save time and energy and just pour the water directly into the pipe, or do you really need to be a middle man? :P

Edited by carafate
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Two things...

1. You couldnt suck the ball out because the pipe (cylinder) is assumably air tight. (as long as the flat metal bottom is welded correctly and depending upon the use for this odd little pipe in the floor) because if you were to create a vacuum (lack of air) in the hole (assuming you could only do this with a vacuum - as there is very little chance someone could do it with their lungs)... the ping pong ball has a little bitty hole in it and given a lot of vacuum pressure you would actually collapse the ball. - not bring it to the surface.

2. it would take quite a bit of urine - in the edit text) to bring that ball to the surface. and ew.

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OK if I am stuck in a room with no doors or windows, and I have access to a wrench, fork, and length of wire, I would like to think I'd have the smarts to use the "tools" to get my butt out of there!. When I have to pee, I can go in the pipe, float up the ball, and ram it down the throat of the SOB who put me in there when I get out!!!

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