It's Thursday. This means that the answers to Tuesday's puzzle have been un-screened and we have a new puzzle:
Two blondes are sitting in a street cafe, talking about the children. One says that she has three daughters. The product of their ages equals 36 and the sum of the ages coincides with the number of the house across the street. The second blonde replies that this information is not enough to figure out the age of each child. The first agrees and adds that the oldest daughter has the beautiful blue eyes. Then the second solves the puzzle.
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Dragon
How I learned to stop worrying and love Democracy
- Puzzle: Blondes
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winter_in_asia- March 15th, 2007
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the youngest two of the three daughters are twins, aged 3. the older daughter with blue eyes is 4. no idea how the number of the house across the street factors in - red herring or a mis-transcribed puzzle?
3*3*4 = 36
3*3*4 = 36
When you figure out how the number on the house across the street factors in, you'll figure out why your answer is incorrect.
i think i got it this time:
the ages of the daughters are 2,2 and 9. the other ordered triplets that *could* have worked sans the "house across the street" clue were 3,3,4 and 1,1,36, but since the sums of the ages for those two ordered triplets are both even, then the odd one, 2+2+9=13, is the right answer (because the blondes are sitting on the even-addressed side of the street.)
the ages of the daughters are 2,2 and 9. the other ordered triplets that *could* have worked sans the "house across the street" clue were 3,3,4 and 1,1,36, but since the sums of the ages for those two ordered triplets are both even, then the odd one, 2+2+9=13, is the right answer (because the blondes are sitting on the even-addressed side of the street.)
Her answer is incorrect?
How do you figure? It's not possible for the number of the house across the street to be ten?
-scratches head-
I thought it was pretty clever to say twins, that way the oldest having blue eyes comes into play by indicating that she might not be the same as them.
How do you figure? It's not possible for the number of the house across the street to be ten?
-scratches head-
I thought it was pretty clever to say twins, that way the oldest having blue eyes comes into play by indicating that she might not be the same as them.
Hmm.
Well, the numbers that reach a product of 36 fit the form of:
1*2*2*3*3
The possible examples (taking just 3 ages) are:
1*2*18; Sum=21
1*3*12; Sum=16
1*4*9; Sum=14
1*6*6; Sum=13
2*2*9; Sum=13
2*3*6; Sum=11
3*3*4; Sum=10
Evidently, since the second blonde said she didn't know the ages based off that information, but she did know that the sum of the ages equals a value she presumably does know, and that knowing that the oldest child was not a twin was enough to distinguish the correct value - therefore 1*6*6 was a valid choice until that information was provided. 1+6+6 = 13. The only other value with a sum of 13 is 2,2,9.
Well, the numbers that reach a product of 36 fit the form of:
1*2*2*3*3
The possible examples (taking just 3 ages) are:
1*2*18; Sum=21
1*3*12; Sum=16
1*4*9; Sum=14
1*6*6; Sum=13
2*2*9; Sum=13
2*3*6; Sum=11
3*3*4; Sum=10
Evidently, since the second blonde said she didn't know the ages based off that information, but she did know that the sum of the ages equals a value she presumably does know, and that knowing that the oldest child was not a twin was enough to distinguish the correct value - therefore 1*6*6 was a valid choice until that information was provided. 1+6+6 = 13. The only other value with a sum of 13 is 2,2,9.
9-2-2 or 6-6-1 (both add up to 13 -> not enough info)
Oldest daughter therefore 9-2-2
Oldest daughter therefore 9-2-2
2007-03-15 06:16 pm (UTC)