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  3. Smart enough to know ? [modified]

Smart enough to know ? [modified]

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  • M MoustafaS

    And why is this ?, please explain.

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    "The Soapbox has been so ..."

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    David Crow
    wrote on last edited by
    #10

    There are 8 combinations that produce a product of 36: 1,1,36 1,2,18 1,3,12 1,4,9 1,6,6 2,2,9 2,3,6 3,3,4 The person knows his own house number, so all but two of the combinations can be eliminated, thus leaving: 1,6,6 2,2,9 Now since there is an "eldest son," that rules out the combination with two 6s. Make sense?


    "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15

    "Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb

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    • 7 73Zeppelin

      brianwelsch wrote:

      Hint: eye color is irrelevent here

      Actually it's critical to obtain the proper solution! ;P

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      Bob Flynn
      wrote on last edited by
      #11

      So why is Brian's answer wrong, as eye color was not used to determine that result.

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      • 7 73Zeppelin

        brianwelsch wrote:

        Hint: eye color is irrelevent here

        Actually it's critical to obtain the proper solution! ;P

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        Dan Neely
        wrote on last edited by
        #12

        No, it's not. Even if the eldest two were twins, one would still be a few minutes to hours older than the second, so it doesn't constrain the answer. Even excluding multiple births there're several valid solutions. 2,2,9 2,3,6 1,2,18 1,3,12 1,4,9

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        • 7 73Zeppelin

          brianwelsch wrote:

          Hint: eye color is irrelevent here

          Actually it's critical to obtain the proper solution! ;P

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          David Crow
          wrote on last edited by
          #13

          The Apocalyptic Teacup wrote:

          Actually it's critical to obtain the proper solution!

          It's not important at all. The fact that there is an "eldest son" is what matters.


          "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15

          "Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb

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          • 7 73Zeppelin

            Old riddle. The answer is 2, 2 and 9. The clue is the colour of the eyes and the word "eldest". You must also realize that 32 can be broken down into products of primes. In fact, were you to know the number of the building, that would be insufficient information as you have the possible combinations: 1,6,6 and 2,2,9 which BOTH total 13 (this hint excludes the 6 other combinations of numbers that give you 36). That is, the number of the house was insufficient to solve the problem which implies an ambiguity in the answer, thus the necessity of the final clue involving "eldest". But then we are told about the ELDEST having blue eyes, this excludes 1,6,6 giving the solution: 2,2,9.

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            Chris S Kaiser
            wrote on last edited by
            #14

            How about 3, 3, and 4?

            This statement is false.

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            • M MoustafaS

              I didn't know the solution for this question ?,I found it on some forum, they say its right A man has 3 sons, the product of their ages is 36, the sum of their ages is equal to the number of the building he lives in :^) , the eldest son's eye is blue. FIND THE AGES OF THE THREE SONS :~ Any one have a clue ? -- modified at 10:43 Thursday 19th October, 2006

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              "The Soapbox has been so ..."

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              JasonSmith
              wrote on last edited by
              #15

              LongHC wrote:

              I didn't know the solution for this question ?,I found it on some forum, they say its right A man has 3 sons, the product of their ages is 36, the sum of their ages is equal to the number of the building he lives in , the eldest son's eye is blue. FIND THE AGES OF THE THREE SONS Any one have a clue ?

              There is obviously not enough information to solve the problem, at least not in a way to find a single definitive solution. The fact that the eldest son has a single eye is rather odd, but seems irrelevant.

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              • J JasonSmith

                LongHC wrote:

                I didn't know the solution for this question ?,I found it on some forum, they say its right A man has 3 sons, the product of their ages is 36, the sum of their ages is equal to the number of the building he lives in , the eldest son's eye is blue. FIND THE AGES OF THE THREE SONS Any one have a clue ?

                There is obviously not enough information to solve the problem, at least not in a way to find a single definitive solution. The fact that the eldest son has a single eye is rather odd, but seems irrelevant.

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                dighn
                wrote on last edited by
                #16

                the OP told it in a very confusing way. I googled it and discovered a crucial constraint missing: knowing the number of the building is insufficient to solve the puzzle

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                • D dighn

                  the OP told it in a very confusing way. I googled it and discovered a crucial constraint missing: knowing the number of the building is insufficient to solve the puzzle

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                  Dan Neely
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #17

                  So what is the missing constraint?

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                  • D Dan Neely

                    So what is the missing constraint?

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                    dighn
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #18

                    the fact that knowning the number is insufficient to solve the puzzle is the constraint. if the sum equates to an unambiguous combination, then you would know. the fact that you don't nkow means it must be one of the ambiguous sums perhaps this link http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-33226.html will make it clearer. that actuall tells the puzzle the right way

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                    • D dighn

                      the fact that knowning the number is insufficient to solve the puzzle is the constraint. if the sum equates to an unambiguous combination, then you would know. the fact that you don't nkow means it must be one of the ambiguous sums perhaps this link http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-33226.html will make it clearer. that actuall tells the puzzle the right way

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                      Dan Neely
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #19

                      That solution is still wrong. A middle child does NOT require that all three children have different ages in years. Twins are born sequentially so one will be older than the other if only by a minute or two. Even with a no twins constraint you can have two children born less than a year appart, and consequently having the same age in years. "MIddle child..." is not sufficient to constrain the solution in any way, shape, or form.

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