Riddles and Puzzles

[frankiebee]

Okay next one.

Mister R. Green lives in a green bungalow. His tv is green, his dog is green, his kitchen is green, etc.
But his stairs are not green, why ?

*hint*
When he was a child, he always fell of stairs,..

[Salubri]

bungalows have no stairs because they only have one floor

[frankiebee]

*doh*

[Salubri]

Can't think of any puzzle or riddle right now. Anyone take my turn.

[nippersean]

The other day I went into the Post Office to cash my benfits cheque.
The sexy babe behind the counter was distracted by my handsome face and transposed the £'s and the penny amount when she gave me the loot. i.e she gave me the pound amount in pence and the penny amount in pounds.

I went to the shop and bought a can of super strength cider which cost 50 pence.

After drinking the cider (sat on a bench) I checked my cash. I had exactly 3 times the amount as the value of the original Girocheque I cashed.

What was the amount of the original cheque?

[nippersean]

Isn't anyone gonna have a go?
Open to new questions - or I could give a clue

[Salubri]

The answer is: Who knows? You are drunk from the cider.

[MudPuppy]

Isn't anyone gonna have a go?

I'll give the answer but I'll pass on giving the next riddle as I lack one.

The Girocheque was for £18.56

I'm wondering if there is an easier way to get it, though. I assumed the original check was for £X.Y.
Based on the info given, I came up with the following equation in terms of pence:

3*(100X + Y) = 100Y + X - 50 which can be re-written as:

Y= (299X + 50)/97

Then, using Excel, I solved Y for X = 0 through 99. So, is there a more direct way to figure this out without solving for 100 equations???

Great riddle, by the way.

[YoursFalsey]

Yes/no-

There is a standard algorithm for Diophantine equations, if one can be bothered to remember it since it's not something you use on a daily basis. I'm not going to try to explain it here- both because it would make this post longer than I intend to and because I didn't remember it clearly myself off the top of my head. This link does a decent job of explaining it however, for those who are interested.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DiophantineEquation.html

To solve the problem w/o a computer, this would have been the quickest way. Raid one's math library, follow the algorithm, voila answer. However, a skilled excel user can quickly make a column counting from 0 to 99, put a formula in the next cell and copy/paste a whole column of the formula. So while the method I would have used would have been more 'direct', I imagine you actually solved it quicker then I would have.

Your problem reminded me of another problem, so here goes:

Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe arrived one day at a farm as three brothers were out in the front yard arguing and fighting. An elderly relative had passed away and left them his herd of dairy cows, but with very specific conditions. The eldest brother was to inherit half the herd, the middle brother to inherit one third of the herd, and the youngest brother to inherit one ninth of the herd. Any other division, or any attempt to trade cows among themselves and the herd would instead go to an obnoxious second cousin that all three brothers loathed and did not want to get the herd. "Unusual, " commented the mighty lumberjack, "but why is it causing such an argument?"
"Because there are only 17 cows in the herd. It doesn't divide up, but if we can't figure it out, none of us will inherit!"
Paul Bunyan thought briefly. "Fear not, gentleman, I have the solution. If you are willing to admit my blue ox Babe is a terrible milk cow, then I will divvy the herd for you, without even having to use my axe." How did he do it?

[ender516]

Paul adds Blue to the herd, making 18 head. Half of 18 is 9 for the eldest brother, one-third of 18 is 6 for the middle brother, and one-ninth of 18 is 2 for the youngest. Adding 9 plus 6 plus 2 makes 17, so if the brothers take their pick, they will no doubt leave one, namely Blue, (not much of a milker). So Paul takes Blue back, and everything works out. The trick is that one-half plus one-third plus one-ninth does not equal one (the whole herd). Clearly the elderly relative was more of a rancher than a mathematician.

I was trying to solve that previous puzzle using Excel, but I must have screwed up the equation, because I never got a solution that worked out.

[YoursFalsey]

Dang Ender! You are quick and accurate again! (Make my head spin, no doubt!)

[ender516]

Okay, here is another puzzle involving dividing an estate:

The owner of a brewery passes away, and in her will, she leaves twenty-one kegs (seven of which are filled with beer, seven of which are half full, and seven of which are empty) to her three daughters. However, the beer and kegs must be split so that each receives the same number of full kegs, the same number of half-full kegs, and the same number of empty kegs. Unfortunately, the owner's disgruntled brother, ignored in the will, has stolen all the measuring devices, and if the division is not done immediately, the government will seize everything. How can the kegs and beer be evenly divided?

[YoursFalsey]

OK, here's my solution, which is hopefully legal.

I see two issues. First problem is that 7 is not divisible by 3. However, if we convert 1 full keg and 1 empty keg into 2 half-kegs, we will have 6 full kegs, 9 half-kegs, and 6 empty kegs, making each daughter's inheritance 2 full kegs, 3 half-kegs, and 2 empty kegs.

The second issue is the lack of measuring tools. All we need to really measure is half a keg, so mark on one of the half kegs where the top of the beer is. Pour the beer from the half keg into any empty keg. Take a full keg, and pour enough beer from the full keg into the marked keg to reach the mark. Now divide as stated above.

A second solution, not as optimal but avoiding the question of whether my measuring scheme works, is to just dump one of the full kegs and one of the half kegs out. Then each sister can recieve 2 full kegs, 2 half kegs, and 3 empties. On the other hand, this wastes a keg and a half of beer, so must be considered a sub-optimal solution....

[ender516]

OK, here's my solution, which is hopefully legal.

I see two issues. First problem is that 7 is not divisible by 3. However, if we convert 1 full keg and 1 empty keg into 2 half-kegs, we will have 6 full kegs, 9 half-kegs, and 6 empty kegs, making each daughter's inheritance 2 full kegs, 3 half-kegs, and 2 empty kegs.

The second issue is the lack of measuring tools. All we need to really measure is half a keg, so mark on one of the half kegs where the top of the beer is. Pour the beer from the half keg into any empty keg. Take a full keg, and pour enough beer from the full keg into the marked keg to reach the mark. Now divide as stated above.

A second solution, not as optimal but avoiding the question of whether my measuring scheme works, is to just dump one of the full kegs and one of the half kegs out. Then each sister can recieve 2 full kegs, 2 half kegs, and 3 empties. On the other hand, this wastes a keg and a half of beer, so must be considered a sub-optimal solution....

Pouring out any of the inheritance is definitely sub-optimal, and I am going to put on my judge hat and say that since kegs are not (usually) transparent, there is no way to mark them that would permit them to be converted to an accurate measuring device.
Keep trying, I'm sure you will find the combination which makes this work.

[-Maximus-]

just pour 2 halves into 1 empty making 1 more full keg, 1 extra empty. Do this again.
Now you have 9 full kegs, 3 half full kegs, 9 empties.

Each person: 3 full, 1 half, 3 empty

[YoursFalsey]

DOH!

I bow to Maximus! (Particularly embaressing is realizing I was on the right track and yet completely oblivious...) Good job!

[ender516]

just pour 2 halves into 1 empty making 1 more full keg, 1 extra empty. Do this again.
Now you have 9 full kegs, 3 half full kegs, 9 empties.

Each person: 3 full, 1 half, 3 empty

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Your turn to pose a problem, -Maximus-.
Interesting how you and the original source of this problem both refer to pouring two halves into an empty, rather than adding one half to another. No real difference. Does it say something about the way we see things? I don't know.

[-Maximus-]

I'm pessimistic, so i see all halves as half empty. Maybe thats' why I filled up the empties.

[-Maximus-]

How many times can you subtract 5 from 135?

[nippersean]

Are allowed negative numbers?

[-Maximus-]

Nah, lets keep it natural numbers.

EDIT: lets just say the answer is a natural number..maybe that helps

[ender516]

Just once, then you are subtracting from 130.

[Big Whiskey]

I don't know if this riddle has been used here yet but here we go:

A father and his son were on there way to the store when they were suddenly struck by another car.The father wasn't hurt all that bad,so he was taken to the local hospital.The son on the other-hand was seriously injured and had to be life flighted to a hospital 100 miles away.When the doctor walked in the e.r he said"I can not operate on this boy for he is my son."Who is the doctor?

[Foxglove]

I don't know if this riddle has been used here yet but here we go:

A father and his son were on there way to the store when they were suddenly struck by another car.The father wasn't hurt all that bad,so he was taken to the local hospital.The son on the other-hand was seriously injured and had to be life flighted to a hospital 100 miles away.When the doctor walked in the e.r he said"I can not operate on this boy for he is my son."Who is the doctor?

His mother.

Oh wait...are women allowed to be doctors?!

[Big Whiskey]

LOL--u r correct.Did you hear this one b4 Foxglove?

When I told this riddle to other people there 1st answer was the father.The 2nd answer I received often was a priest.