I’m just curious, in the history of the puzzler, have you ever not had a correct answer submitted?
Not me, because I never submit one. If you look at the recent Boogus Puzzler thread on this board, you may find several people who submitted an answer that while clever was not right, because they overlooked the “or 6” part of “5 or 6 miles.”
As to the current puzzler, either the car is dirty and the license plate is clean or vicey versey. Or it’s a livery license plate on a car that is clearly not for hire. Or something similar. There are multiple possible correct solutions to this one.
?submitted an answer that while clever was not right, because they overlooked the "or 6" part of "5 or 6 miles.?I think, as clever as you are for thinking that, you?re wrong. In the original puzzler, the woman said, ? I think I walked four miles.? She didn?t know exactly how far she walked. Neither did the man. He simply said he thought he walked between 5 or 6 miles. That?s absolutely reasonable if they were walking in a circle. Unless they knew the exact diameter of the circle, and exactly how far they were apart (and stayed that distance the whole time), it would not be possible for them to calculate their exact distances anyway.
In fact, if they were on treadmills, wouldn?t they know exactly how far they went? I?m no treadmill expert, but every treadmill that I?ve been on keeps track of EXACTLY how far you?ve gone.
Would they know? Did they zero out the mileage counter before they started? Why would anyone walk in a circle for an hour? Try walking around a 30 ft. circle at a 5 mi/hr pace for a while. Soon you’ll be asking yourself “Why the heck am I doing this?” The treadmill solution remains much more likely. They’ll probably discuss this this weekend.
Did they zero out the mileage counter before they started?They wouldn't need to. Treadmills tend to have electronic distance calculators, and I'd be surprised if they didn't all reset every time the treadmill turned off.
Why would anyone walk in a circle for an hour?That's completely irrelevant. The mere fact that it seems like an odd thing to do does not invalidate it as an answer.
So if you stop to rest, change the channel on the tv, or use the bathroom you lose the mileage count?
“I’d be surprised”? How is that a reason?
“The mere fact that it seems like an odd thing to do does not invalidate it as an answer.”
Okay, so they were both walking in a straight line, but the man was walking on a series of ascending and descending ramps, ///_/ vs. the woman’s flat surface ________. Your argument supports that answer as well.
So if you stop to rest, change the channel on the tv, or use the bathroom you lose the mileage count?Quite possibly. It may be that some have a pause function that allows you to resume, but I think you'll find that most of them start fresh once the unit has been powered off and powered back on.
Okay, so they were both walking in a straight line, but the man was walking on a series of ascending and descending ramps...Yep, I'll support that as well. My position is not that walking in a circle is the only solution; my position is that you are wrong in calling that answer "clever but not right." My argument is that it is absolutely a possible answer, and can't be dismissed as being wrong, regardless of whether or not it was the chosen answer. And in addition, my argument is that if they had each been on treadmills, they most likely would be able to tell exactly how far they walked based on the distance counter on the machines.
Regarding the license plate puzzler, I smell a boooooogus answer in the near future.
The reason it’s not right is that it adds constraints that don’t exist in the original Puzzler. No one, not the people in the Puzzler or in the audience, knows how far they walked. Arbitrarily saying they must have walked exactly 4 and 5 miles respectively assumes facts not in evidence.
“I think” and “most likely” just aren’t compelling arguments in my view.
In my post at the top of this thread I listed two (or variations on one) non-bogus solutions, based on the hint that was dropped when the Puzzler was read. We shall see.
Okay I was close, but didn’t realize that “last summer” was a clue.
Arbitrarily saying they must have walked exactly 4 and 5 miles respectively assumes facts not in evidence.Watched a few too many episodes of "Law and Order" I see. No one is saying they walked exactly 4 and 5 miles. What's being proposed is that if they were walking in circles, with the man walking to the outside of the circle, he could have walked farther than his wife, and it is a possible solution to the puzzler. And so still, your dismissal of it as "clever but not right" is, itself, not right.
No. No again. No a third time. Wrongerino. Macvaltawrongerinimo. Mike’s solution (which is mathematically correct, and appears in the Booogus Puzzler thread) requires the woman to walk 4 miles and the man to walk 5 miles. It also takes into account that they can hold hands the entire time. You haven’t proposed any such solution (where they can stay side by side and hold hands). But it doesn’t take into account that no one knows exactly how far they walked, neither the imaginary puzzler, nor the puzzle solvers. Therefore the distance isn’t important. Therefore assumptions about the distance are introducing facts not in evidence. I get righter with every post. The treadmill answer is the right one.
Mike's solution (which is mathematically correct, and appears in the Booogus Puzzler thread) requires the woman to walk 4 miles and the man to walk 5 miles. It also takes into account that they can hold hands the entire time. You haven't proposed any such solution (where they can stay side by side and hold hands).That?s the solution that I submitted as an answer. I don?t know why you?re having trouble understanding this. I proposed that they walked side by side in a circle with the man on the outside of the circle, thereby walking farther.
But it doesn't take into account that no one knows exactly how far they walked, neither the imaginary puzzler, nor the puzzle solvers. Therefore the distance isn't important.Right, we don?t know exactly how far they walked. The point is that they could have walked in a circle, while still holding hands, and it would be possible for the wife to walk approximately 4 miles (like she thought) and for the man to walk between 5 and 6 (like he thought).
Therefore assumptions about the distance are introducing facts not in evidence.Regardless of the fact that you may have seen every episode of "Law and Order," I don?t think you understand what that means. You seem to have a tenuous grasp of logic, at best.
I get righter with every post.No, you sound more foolish and seem to contradict yourself more with each post. But, as they say, ignorance is bliss, so I understand why you seem to be so pleased with yourself.
I thought your (CliffCooper) question was just poorly worded, but now I realize that I just read it wrong. You’re not talking to Click and Clack by posting here. Maybe, and that’s a big maybe one of the staff might see your question, but don’t count on it.
It’s still a good question.
What is your obsession with keeping your yard tidy?
The Puzzler specifies that the distance is unknown. Therefore a solution that depends on knowing the distance is iffy.
“it would be possible for the wife to walk approximately 4 miles (like she thought) and for the man to walk between 5 and 6 (like he thought).”
No. For the wife to walk approximately 4 miles (let’s say 3.5 - 4.5 miles) the man cannot possibly walk 6 miles (i.e. between 5 and 6 miles) if they are walking in circles and holding hands.
Also you’re buying into the unspoken argument that they are accurate in their rough estimates of distance traveled. Even if we accept that, you are wrong.
Bazinga!
No. For the wife to walk approximately 4 miles (let's say 3.5 - 4.5 miles) the man cannot possibly walk 6 miles (i.e. between 5 and 6 miles) if they are walking in circles and holding hands.How do you figure? It is absolutely possible for her to walk approx. 4 miles, and for him to walk approx. 6 miles; it all depends on the size of the circle they're walking and the gap between them. Saying it's impossible makes you sound more foolish than I previously thought.
For example ? if they walked in circles such that they maintained a 3 foot separation at all times (while still holding hands), and the woman walked a circle of diameter 15 feet (and the man a circle diameter 21 feet), they could walk 450 laps and the woman would have covered a distance of about 4.016 miles, and the man 5.623 miles.
Feel free to explain how what I just showed was quite possible is actually impossible, as you claim.
Your answer is right mathematically, given two tall people. Why it’s wrong is that as we saw in today’s puzzler answer about the license plate, there are words in the puzzler that are clues that people miss. Here the clue is that no one, neither the people in the Puzzler nor the solvers, know how far the people walked. All we know is the man thinks he walked farther than the woman thinks she walked. Therefore the distance is unimportant. Therefore the treadmill answer is right.
I hope you are keeping your lawn in order.
I didn’t say “approx. 6 miles.” I said 6 miles, since the man in the Puzzler said 5 or 6 miles, even though he doesn’t know how far he walked. Therefore any answer that takes the people’s estimates of distance into account has to take 6 miles into account. Not “approx 6 miles”. 6 miles.
I didn't say "approx. 6 miles." I said 6 miles, since the man in the Puzzler said 5 or 6 miles, even though he doesn't know how far he walked. Therefore any answer that takes the people's estimates of distance into account has to take 6 miles into account. Not "approx 6 miles". 6 miles.So, your problem is now that the woman must walk exactly 4 miles and the man exactly 6? Fine, she walked a circle of diameter 12 feet (his diameter 18 ft) for 560.23 laps.
All we know is the man thinks he walked farther than the woman thinks she walked. Therefore the distance is unimportant.Unless the man and woman knew exactly how far apart they were (and remained that very distance the whole time) and were walking in a perfect circle of known diameter for a known number of laps, the best they could do is guess anyway.
The, “I think I walked” becomes even more problematic when you consider that treadmills have distance counters. It seems more likely that they would KNOW how far they walked if they were on a treadmill.
In any event, you’re not going to be able to convince me that walking in circles is not an acceptable answer to the problem. And, judging by the comments in other threads, I’m not the only one who was thinking along those lines.
To the lawn issue: I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.