# Palindromic Odometer Puzzler

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970>\
**Category:** The Show\
**Created:** [May 25, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970 "2011-05-25T20:15:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/1 "2011-05-25T20:15:30Z")

</div>

The number of miles driven is also a palindrome in the solution they’re looking for.  
  
  
  
  
099990  
100001  
  
999999  
000000 also works.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jt1979](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jt1979/32/1863_2.png) [@jt1979](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jt1979)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/2 "2011-05-29T16:24:59Z")

</div>

Guess that’s not the answer they were looking for!

  

Of course, the answer could also be:

  

299992

300003

  

399993

400004

  

499994

500005

  

etc, etc.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/3 "2011-05-30T07:51:29Z")

</div>

Those are some keystrokes you’ll never get back, but of course you’re right.  
  
They weren’t looking for it, but I still think 099990 is clevererer, because it makes the number of digits sort of a red herring.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jherde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@jherde](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jherde)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 12:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/4 "2011-06-06T12:17:56Z")

</div>

I was really counting on  
999999  
000000.

Tommy shouldn’t be driving fast ANYWHERE!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Seraph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Seraph](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Seraph)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/5 "2011-06-07T22:46:53Z")

</div>

I must me missing something. The question was “How far did he drive that morning?” and as far as I can figure your “clevererer” answer is exactly the same as the one given on the show.  
100001 - 099990 = 11  
200001 - 199991 = 11

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/6 "2011-06-08T00:10:49Z")

</div>

It’s clevererer because it turns the number of digits into a red herring. As I said.

100001 - 99990 = 11  
200001 - 199991 = 11

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jt1979](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jt1979/32/1863_2.png) [@jt1979](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jt1979)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 11:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/7 "2011-06-08T11:28:05Z")

</div>

> _200001 - 199991 = 11_

I don't think so

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![piter\_devries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@piter\_devries](https://community.cartalk.com/u/piter_devries)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/8 "2011-06-08T23:31:09Z")

</div>

Didn’t want to nitpick.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ChuckBrabec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@ChuckBrabec](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChuckBrabec)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/9 "2011-06-13T00:48:09Z")

</div>

101 to 111 = 10

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![skomjathy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@skomjathy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/skomjathy)\
**Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/palindromic-odometer-puzzler/64970/10 "2011-06-13T03:17:50Z")

</div>

But, isn’t it that neither 000101 nor 000111 is a palindrome?