[Prof. Templeton]

Long before Professor Templeton started his career at the Redrum University he had a job at Whiskey distillery in Tennessee. One day as he was unloading a delivery truck, the Professor asked the truck driver how far he had to travel that day, to which the driver replied,”Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I’m still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop. When I’m the same distance from the end as I am now from the beginning I’ll be twice as far from here as it is from where I started to my first. Then of course I have to drive back.” The Prof. then left the driver and went inside to get a pencil. How long was the driver’s route that day?

[bonanova]

175 490 175 miles.

OK I'm sticking with 175.

[Guest]

Long before Professor Templeton started his career at the Redrum University he had a job at Whiskey distillery in Tennessee. One day as he was unloading a delivery truck, the Professor asked the truck driver how far he had to travel that day, to which the driver replied,”Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I’m still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop. When I’m the same distance from the end as I am now from the beginning I’ll be twice as far from here as it is from where I started to my first. Then of course I have to drive back.” The Prof. then left the driver and went inside to get a pencil. How long was the driver’s route that day?

[spoiler='answer

']The driver's route for that day is 175 miles.

I created a line with the points A, B, C, and D, representing the stops, and labled the space inbetween these points a, b, and c to represent the distances between the stops.

It took some deciphering, but eventually I was able to boil your givens down to these equations:

a+b=35

c=2b=2a+35

Then I solved the Equation for a and b, creating

a=35-b

b=35-a

Plugged them into the equations

2(35-a)=2a+35

2b=2(35-b)+35

and solved for a and b.

a=8.75

b=26.25

Placed these values in the equation for c

c=2(26.25)

and solved for c. I then added up a, b, and c and multiplied by 2 to account for the trip back

a+b+c=26.25+8.75+52.5=87.5

87.5*2=175

Which is how I got my answer.

It took me some time to figure out some of the wording in the puzzle, but eventually I got it

Edited January 30, 2009 by IDoNotExist

[bonanova]

It took me some time to figure out some of the wording in the puzzle, but eventually I got it

Yeah!

[Guest]

[spoiler='answer

']The driver's route for that day is 175 miles.

I created a line with the points A, B, C, and D, representing the stops, and labled the space inbetween these points a, b, and c to represent the distances between the stops.

It took some deciphering, but eventually I was able to boil your givens down to these equations:

a+b=35

c=2b=2a+35

Then I solved the Equation for a and b, creating

a=35-b

b=35-a

Plugged them into the equations

2(35-a)=2a+35

2b=2(35-b)+35

and solved for a and b.

a=8.75

b=26.25

Placed these values in the equation for c

c=2(26.25)

and solved for c. I then added up a, b, and c and multiplied by 2 to account for the trip back

a+b+c=26.25+8.75+52.5=87.5

87.5*2=175

Which is how I got my answer.

It took me some time to figure out some of the wording in the puzzle, but eventually I got it

Just realized that this answer is only true if you assume that all stops are in a straight line, D is the farthest stop away, the distance from A to C (35) equals the total distance from A to B and B to C, and the distance from A to D equals the total distance from A to B, B to C, and C to D. If the route is a triangle or D is located in a straight line on the opposite side of A from B and C than the distance would be considerably shorter.

(Least amount of distance for the entire route is 140 miles)

I liked the challenge of the word problem.

Edited January 30, 2009 by IDoNotExist

[Guest]

Long before Professor Templeton started his career at the Redrum University he had a job at Whiskey distillery in Tennessee. One day as he was unloading a delivery truck, the Professor asked the truck driver how far he had to travel that day, to which the driver replied,"Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I'm still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop. When I'm the same distance from the end as I am now from the beginning I'll be twice as far from here as it is from where I started to my first. Then of course I have to drive back." The Prof. then left the driver and went inside to get a pencil. How long was the driver's route that day?

Say a is the distance to the 1st stop.

"Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I'm still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop."

35 miles travelled so far, 2*(35-a) to go

Total distance 105-2a, or there and back again 210-4a

"When I'm the same distance from the end as I am now from the beginning..."

at (105-2a)-35=70-2a miles

"...I'll be twice as far from here as it is from where I started to my first."

(70-2a)-35=2a

a=35/4

Total distance was 210-4a=210-35=175

Though I suspect it was more like 50 miles and he just made it all up knowing that only a professor would take it seriously and try to figure out the answer

[Guest]

Long before Professor Templeton started his career at the Redrum University he had a job at Whiskey distillery in Tennessee. One day as he was unloading a delivery truck, the Professor asked the truck driver how far he had to travel that day, to which the driver replied,”Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I’m still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop. When I’m the same distance from the end as I am now from the beginning I’ll be twice as far from here as it is from where I started to my first. Then of course I have to drive back.” The Prof. then left the driver and went inside to get a pencil. How long was the driver’s route that day?

That depends on who's driving: Luke is definitely the better navigator, but Bo gets the edge when it comes to jumping over washed out bridges.

[Prof. Templeton]

That depends on who's driving: Luke is definitely the better navigator, but Bo gets the edge when it comes to jumping over washed out bridges.

Ye-ha, hang on cousin!!

[Guest]

Ye-ha, hang on cousin!!

*plays dixie horn*

[bonanova]

Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I’m still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop.

The text in red has to be interpreted as excluding the return trip.

It's slightly ambiguous.

But the wording puts the return trip at the end, suggesting the forward trip is what is being calculated.

[Prof. Templeton]

Well son, this place is my second stop, which is 35 miles from where I started and I’m still going twice as far as it is from here back to my first stop.

The text in red has to be interpreted as excluding the return trip.

It's slightly ambiguous.

But the wording puts the return trip at the end, suggesting the forward trip is what is being calculated.

Bertrand Russell said it the best.