My dear Slippy thank you for your gift of music; but I am write ewe sea; supposin' I was to go to and learn how to... to read proper writin'. Well, how'd I know that ... that who wrote the writin' was a writin' the writin' right?
Sea it could be that you wrote the writin' all wrong. Here I'd be just a readin' wrong writin', don't ya see? You probably been doin' it your whole life, just a readin' wrong writin' and not even knowed it!
English is nothing but French spoken in Dutch with a German accent!
Heureux Nieu Jahr .
Happy New Year fellow thespians…
Slippy is right, there really is only one answer:
(square root(-16) times square root(-4) times (-1)) minus (6 divided by 2) = 5
However, regular readers will know that Markr likes to cover all bases just in case that dastardly devious Try is up to tricks!
Due to my entrepreneurial skills I collected the somewhat soggy gloves from melted Snowmen….and before y’all ask, I didn’t touch the Snowwomen, but I still got some icy looks!
Due to my non-payment of the electricity account, I have this problem I’m hoping A2K’s smartest minds can solve!
There are 20 gloves in the drier: 5 pairs of black gloves, 3 pairs of brown and 2 pairs of gray.
I select the gloves in the dark and can only check them by the street lamp after a selection has been made.
What is the smallest number of gloves I need to select to guarantee getting the following?
(a) At least one matching pair
(b) At least one matching pair of each color
All entries will be submitted to the A2K Politburo for assessment.
Please note: The decision of the General Secretary to the Central Committee is final.
Thank you and have a nice day!
Ps. TryingTwoLearn, although I am not familiar with,’ Marb... contest’
I do recall his limo is: Cadillac One.
@Tryagain,
Thanks for the smile. You are cute! Not in a romantic way, you are still weird in a good way.
Gloves:
a) 4
b) 18
I got here as soon as I heard; Amelia Earhart herself could have not have come up with the same answers as Mark!
The old Try would have said, ‘Those numbers do NOT compute!’ But the new Try, the benevolent Try would point out, ‘To make a (pair) you need a left and right glove!'
However, I ain’t he and I totally refute both answers; but who are you to believe, Mark who is batting close to 100% or the old red neck sitting in the bleachers?
Have a go yourself and place your bets!
@Tryagain,
Oops - gloves are not socks.
11 and 19
Markr:
11 and 19
I have been most touched by the amount of mail received pleading for Markr to be awarded both points for his revised answer.
I have taken on board all the pleas of mitigation in his favor and acknowledge that he has indeed learnt a sock is not a glove even when placed on the hand. I also accept that a Panda born in The Central Park Zoo does not become an American Panda because all Pandas are Chinese.
Furthermore I recognize his superiority in all matters numerical, but only first answers can be accepted. So I am very pleased to announce that; he is now batting 0-2 in the first innings but there is still aways to go in this match!
For Canadians and would be Americans who may be discombobulated by Marks answer:
Glove Selection Solution:
The answers are 11 and 19 gloves for parts (a) and (b), respectively.
a. In the worst case, before you get at least one matching pair, you will select
5 black gloves, 3 brown gloves, and 2 gray gloves—all for the same hand.
The next glove will have to yield a matching pair. Thus, the answer is 11 gloves.
b. In the worst case, before you get one matching pair of each color, you will
select all 10 black, all 6 brown, and 2 gray gloves for the same hand. The next gray glove will have to yield a matching pair. Thus, the answer is 19 gloves.
Quid pro quo.
I was at this juncture going to ask a devilish question involving the ‘imperial system’ distances, until I realized that….
Their miles on land differ from those at sea! Furthermore, they subdivide a stature mile into 1,760 yards if they are walking, eight furlongs if they are ploughing, 880 fathoms if they are diving, 58.6 shackles if they are tying up a barge, 3,520 cubits if they were building an arc, 1,712.4 cloth yards for a suit or a third of a league if they are charging the guns at Balaclava! How did they ever have an Empire!
Anyhoo, that is far too difficult, so try…
Twice the larger of two numbers is three more than five times the smaller and the sum of four times the larger and three times the smaller is nine less than 80.
What are the numbers?
@Tryagain,
This board needs "hide" tags so you don't have to ruin it for others.
@Tryagain,
The numbers are
5 and
14. Highlight to see the numbers.
Congratulations to both Mark and Spike: How did they come up with the correct answer…
One way is,,,
the larger number: x
the smaller number: y
twice the larger: 2x
three more than five times the smaller: 5y + 3
relationship between ("is"): 2x = 5y + 3
four times the larger: 4x
three times the smaller: 3y
relationship between ("sum of"): 4x + 3y = 71
Now I have two equations in two variables:
2x = 5y + 3
4x + 3y = 71
I will solve, say, the first equation for x:
x = (5/2)y + (3/2)
Then I'll plug the right-hand side of this into the second equation in place of the "x":
4[ (5/2)y + (3/2) ] + 3y = 71
10y + 6 + 3y = 71
13y + 6 = 71
13y = 65
y = 65/13 = 5
Now that I have the value for y, I can solve for x:
x = (5/2)y + (3/2)
x = (5/2)(5) + (3/2)
x = (25/2) + (3/2)
x = 28/2 = 14
As always, I need to remember to answer the question that was actually asked. The solution here is not "x = 14", but is the following sentence:
The larger number is 14, and the smaller number is 5.
2-2 in the second…
My local police department reports that the probabilities that 0, 1, 2, and 3 robberies will be reported in a given day are 0.48, 0.36, 0.14, and 0.02, respectively.
What is the standard deviation for the probability distribution?
Please round answer to the nearest hundredth. Thank you and don’t forget to lock your doors!
@Tryagain,
Quote:select the gloves in the dark
turn one (or more) of the gloves inside out
Mark’s answer is totally, utterly, completely absolutely correct; in fact I could do no better myself.
The scoreboard now shows 3-2 in favor of the other side.
Lol creatively writes, ‘turn one (or more) of the gloves inside out. ‘
Who else could think outside the box like that? We need more of that kind of thinking, and I’m thinking that Lol hails from out East; Europe say, and as such probably spends a great deal of time in a sauna because that is one hot answer!
This could be the reason why she counts from 1 to 1000 using the fingers of her left hand as follows:
She starts by calling her thumb 1, the first finger 2, middle finger 3, ring finger 4, and little finger 5.
Then she reverses direction, calling the ring finger 6, middle finger 7, the first finger 8, and her thumb 9, after which she calls her first finger 10, and so on…
Now, the question is not why such an astute wit such as she doesn’t use an abacus, or even why she has let her towel casually slip to the floor, butt…..
If she continues to count in this manner, on which finger will she stop?
OMG! Is she gonna give me the bird and flip me off!!!
(Answers on underclothing marked ‘Do Not Sniff’ ... not to be left in A2K reception) Thank you.
@Tryagain,
Counting to 1000: Since 1000 is divisible by
8, and since all multiples of 8 are on the first finger she will stop on her
first finger.
Accuracy and brevity; Mark has them both.
He chalks up another home run!
To celebrate and in a moment of madness I bought Mark a small gift, something that was priced at $6.95, and the total bill was $7.61.
a) What is the sales tax rate in this city?
b) What is the name of the city?
What! Sorry I have the authorities on the line…
EDIT: It has been pointed out that there is insufficient data to establish that the city in question was Atlantis, therefore please disregard Q. b) above and substitute the following:
There are 10 stacks of 10 identical-looking gold coins in the city of Atlantis.
All of the coins in one of these stacks are counterfeit, and all the coins in the other stacks are genuine.
Every genuine gold coin weighs 10 grams, and every fake weighs 11.
You have an analytical scale that can determine the exact weight of any number of coins.
What is the minimum number of weighings needed to identify the stack with the fake coins?
(Please note: If you have any doubt as to how many of this or that, genuine or fake; please re-read the question…………………….
For what it’s worth; I have been told by an old apothecary it is less than 10.)
NB: For a bonus ‘Get Outta Jail Free’ card…
If a Mustela nigripes says, "All Mustela nigripes are liars" is the Mustela nigripes telling the truth?
@Tryagain,
sales tax: a whopping
9.5%.
gold coins:
one - you'll weigh 55 coins - n coins from the nth stack for n=1 to 10 - expected weight is 550 grams - the number of grams above 550 indicates which stack is counterfeit.
Mustela nigripes: He's
lying, so we know that at least one (but not all) is a liar.
@Tryagain,
sales tax: 1/(10+1/2+1/33)---Cairo
gold coins: three
liar liar pants on fire
Rap
Mark makes it look easy with 1 & 2….
The sales tax is a certain percentage of the price, so I first have to figure what the actual tax was. The tax was:
7.61 – 6.95 = 0.66
Then (the sales tax) is (some percentage) of (the price), or, in mathematical terms:
0.66 = (x)(6.95)
Solving for x, I get: 0.66 ÷ 6.95 = x = 0.094964028... = 9.4964028...%
Dang! Mark is right he sales tax rate is 9.5%.
The puzzle can indeed be solved in one weighing.
Number the coin stacks from 1 to 10. Take 1 coin from the first stack, 2 coins from the second, and so on, until all 10 coins are taken from the last stack.
Weigh all these coins together. The difference between this weight and 550, the weight of (1 + 2 + • • • + 10) = 55 genuine coins, indicates the number of the fake coins weighted, which is equal to the number of the stack with the fake coins…. Which is equal to what Mark said.
For example, if the selected coins weigh 553 grams, 3 coins are fake and hence it is the third stack that contains the fake coins. I hope that makes it clear to LOL!
But…… Mustela nigripes can't talk; so we will never know!
Dagnabit, welcome back Rap, how’s y’all been adoing?
The last time I herd about you, (there were a bunch of us) you were causing an automobile some serious damage with your head! I did mean to call round to the hospital, but when I called they said you were just going crazy and incoherent; so I knew straight away you were ok and back to your old self, so I drank the beer…
Anyhoo, Ima glad that the rumor that you had joined the GOP proved false; it came as a big shock to some… but not me; because I started it!
So to make amends I have started another rumor – that you have now joined the teaching fraternity and have been entrusted with the cream of the nation’s youth!
Good to see yer buddy; you know Mark of course; the genius from the West coast and leading home run hitter for the élite.
I was kinda planning on a quiet evening at home with my Republican friends to help me; so Ima going to be real lonely …..my jigsaw puzzle contains 500 pieces.
The picture depicted is of a select group of foxy female A2k ladies in winter. I can tell that because they have sno’ balls!
A “section” of the puzzle is a set of one or more pieces that have been connected to each other.
A “move” consists of connecting two sections.
What is the minimum number of moves in which the puzzle can be completed?
@Tryagain,
but but but 1/(10+1/2+1/33)=0.094964028... in Egyptian Fractions and if you're using Egyptian Fractions you must be in Egypt--- and Cairo is your name.
Nice coin solution.
Rap
