Riddles and puzzles

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RandBlade

You have 7 matches laid out in the following pattern:

\/||=|

How can you move just one match to make the equation true? You can't use one to change the = to does not equal.

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you're either going for both sides being 1 or 11. So I'm assuming you need an ASCII eye to make some random operation.

You move one of the ones in the = to make it >?

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Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer

you're either going for both sides being 1 or 11. So I'm assuming you need an ASCII eye to make some random operation.

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Close. Hint:

Spoiler:

Both sides end up equalling one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by littlelolligagged

You move one of the ones in the = to make it >?

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No, there's no funny business.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RandBlade

No, there's no funny business.

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Oh, please, the solution is absurdly funny business. It requires a specific form of mathematical notation that isn't really written that way in order to work.

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Originally Posted by wiggin

Oh, please, the solution is absurdly funny business. It requires a specific form of mathematical notation that isn't really written that way in order to work.

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Spoiler:

All one equal one?

No, the common solution I've heard is:

Spoiler:

To take the I in the VII and make it a bar on top so it turns into sqrt(1). Blech.

That does make more sense notationally

I have a couple of books of mathematically inclined puzzles, I'll see about translating some if I can be bothered at some point

Yes that's the answer. :)

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Originally Posted by Nessus

That does make more sense notationally

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Come on, even if you were to use that sign to denote that operation (which, let's be honest, most mathematicians just use exponents because they're easier to manipulate and write coherently), you wouldn't write it like that. Eh.

If we're doing math puzzles, we should just do math games. I always enjoyed playing four fours as a kid...

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Originally Posted by wiggin

Come on, even if you were to use that sign to denote that operation (which, let's be honest, most mathematicians just use exponents because they're easier to manipulate and write coherently), you wouldn't write it like that. Eh.

If we're doing math puzzles, we should just do math games. I always enjoyed playing four fours as a kid...

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Ugh, I hate having to converse inside spoilers, but

Spoiler:

for single numbers/variables I use the square root sign, it's with long, complicated expressions that it makes sense to bust out the ^½, or even better the ^-½. You are right that the modern sqrt operator doesn't look like that, but in match-stick ASCII that's what you're reduced to. Is is dumb, sure.

Math games, you say? What's four fours?

Four fours is a basic game we played each day in high school. You have to create the day's number using four instances of the number four and any non-numerical mathematical operators you want (generally people disallow logarithms because then it's too easy). Each day the day's number increments, and you're not allowed to repeat the solution someone else has posted. It's pretty easy to do the first hundred or so but then it can get challenging.

Sounds...Interesting.

Okay, after paging through the first book, a lot of these are kinda boring or geometrical and I'm not motivated enough to draw illustrations. Here's an old but relatively simple one, and *almost* physical, too!

A cylinder with a height of 6 (arbitrary units, call them cm or inch or whichever your moon nation prefers) has been drilled perpendicularly against the surface of a solid sphere, extending through the sphere. What is the volume of the remaining sphere material?

It's easy to solve that with integration, but I'm curious if there's a simpler method. Let me think about it. (Also it would help if we knew the radius of the sphere?)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wiggin

It's easy to solve that with integration, but I'm curious if there's a simpler method. Let me think about it. (Also it would help if we knew the radius of the sphere?)

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Fuck, it was supposed to length, not diameter :picard:

A lady is 21 years older than her son.
In six years time the son will be one fifth of her age.

Where is the father?

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Originally Posted by RandBlade

A lady is 21 years older than her son.
In six years time the son will be one fifth of her age.

Where is the father?

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Spoiler:

2 and a quarter years from meeting the mother?

No do the maths again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RandBlade

No do the maths again.

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Maybe drunk math isn't my forte

Spoiler:

Y mom's age, X son's
1st condition: Y = X +21
2nd condition: X +6 = Y/5
Plug 1 into 2, X + 6 = (X + 21)/5 = X/5 + 21/5
Works to (4X)/5 = (21/5) - 6
Whereby X = (5/4)*[(21/5 - 6)] = -2.25

Where did I go wrong? With the initial conditions?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nessus

Maybe drunk math isn't my forte

Spoiler:

Y mom's age, X son's
1st condition: Y = X +21
2nd condition: X +6 = Y/5
Plug 1 into 2, X + 6 = (X + 21)/5 = X/5 + 21/5
Works to (4X)/5 = (21/5) - 6
Whereby X = (5/4)*[(21/5 - 6)] = -2.25

Where did I go wrong? With the initial conditions?

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Yep, 2nd condition was wrong!

Spoiler:

It's still a negative number?

Isn't it obvious from the question itself what the answer must be? There's only one possible age where the given information would give you the answer.

I want to get there by numbers :(

Seriously, someone spoiler me here, I'm intoxicated and impatient

Also maybe incontinent

(Not really)

Spoiler:

The child's age is -3/4, so presumably the father is in the process of impregnating the mother. To within a 3 month margin of error.

Right, that's what I got from my corrected computation but didn't remember

Spoiler:

the human gestation period

or at least didn't think to connect it to the number I got. Ah well, at least I got the math right :heart:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wiggin

No, the common solution I've heard is:

Spoiler:

To take the I in the VII and make it a bar on top so it turns into sqrt(1). Blech.

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Figured it wasn't going to be legit. You can't even type the answer as the riddle would want it. :\

Spoiler:

Second condition should be: X+6=(Y+6)/5

The son is -9 months so father is pretty close to the mother ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer

Figured it wasn't going to be legit. You can't even type the answer as the riddle would want it. :\

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It's supposed to be a match puzzle, not a typed one. Sqrt symbol is still perfectly legit last I checked.

http://i.imgur.com/5RYtZ.png

Divide that up into 4 plots, each the same size and shape, each with a well and house.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RandBlade

Sqrt symbol is still perfectly legit last I checked.

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I've never written the square root symbol with a capital V :bulb:

Well you put the start of the match going across above the second one so that it continues up (it's also the above the I remaining as it should be but can't type). Not exactly perfect, but for matchsticks it works. In fact works better than you can type it.

Think I've figured yours out?

Spoiler:

AAABBB
ACAAAB
ACCABB
CCDBBD
CDDDBD
CCCDDD

Pattern of three across, right two, right one, left one, straight on and right one.

That seems to be correct