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Can you do this math problem?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Butterfingers, Dec 14, 2008.

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  1. Butterfingers

    Butterfingers Member

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    Last Night, there was a robbery on 17th Ave. S.

    Very shortly after, ace detective Bill Bonche was on the scene. The residents of the house reported that they saw 5 people going about during the night of the crime, the first seen at 11:45 and the last at 12:30. They couldn't recall all of the suspects' descriptions, but did remember some of the details. For example, one witness noted that she saw a man who was 6' 2 tall, but couldn't recall anything else about him or when she saw him.

    With the clues the family gave them, you should be able to find out each suspect's height, hair color, mode of transportation (one was biking), and what time they came by the crime scene:

    1. One of the men had black hair.
    2. The man who was 5'11 came by the house before the man who was walking (who wasn't the 5'7 man) and the man who has blonde hair.
    3. The man who was roller skating was 6'2 or shorter. The man who was 6'6 came by the house after 12:05. The red-haired man wasn't walking or running. The man who was biking wasn't 5'7.
    4. The brown-haired man came directly after the 6'9 man, who came directly after the man who was skateboarding, who came some time after the gray-haired man.
    5. The man who was running came at 12:05. The 6'6 man had blonde hair.
    6. The man who came at 12:15 was either 5'11 or 6'2. The gray-haired man was taller than the man that came at 11:55.
     
  2. smoothie

    smoothie Jabari Jungle

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    practice lsat?
     
  3. moestavern19

    moestavern19 Member

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    Simple.

    It was the minority guy.
     
  4. bladeage

    bladeage Member

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    Answer - The Golden State Warriors' Starting Lineup.
     
  5. Butterfingers

    Butterfingers Member

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    haha no just an extra credit hw grade.

    i was doing it fine but screwed up on one part and realized that caused everything else to be wrong in my table so i became demoralized and am now seeking help lol.
     
  6. Christopher

    Christopher Member

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    I'd like to use a lifeline.

    I'll call Dr T-Mac thanks.
     
  7. Ubiquitin

    Ubiquitin Member
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    That's not a math problem as much as it is a logic problem. Just redraw your logic table and make some eliminations. We're not your personal army.
     
  8. Christopher

    Christopher Member

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    Actually, we are....you need to read the Forum FAQ. :D
     
  9. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    These puzzles are fun. More sudoku logic than math.
    11:45...Roller Skate... Grey.....5'11
    11:55...Skateboard.... Red......5'7
    12:05...Runner.......... Black....6'9
    12:15...Walker...........Brown....6'2
    12:30...Biking............Blonde...6'6
     
  10. killtaker

    killtaker Member

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    <b>
    <b>
    I enjoy these, too. The above answer is correct! ;)
    <b>
    <b>
     
  11. droxford

    droxford Member

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    Not so fast!

    There are two solutions.

    And, that's if we make the following assumptions:

    • are we assuming that only one man was walking?
    • are we assuming that only one man was biking?
    • are we assuming that only one man was roller skating?
    • clue number 2 is vague in the sense that it does not specify whether or not the man who was 5'11 came by the house directly before any other suspect. Since clue number 4 specifically uses the word "directly" shouldn't we assume that the lack of that word in clue number 2 means that the 5'11 did not necessarily come by the house directly before the man who was walking and the man who has blonde hair?

    Something tells me that you meant to use the word "directly" in clue number 2. If that's the case, and if we make the assumptions listed above, there are still two possible solutions:

    SOLUTION 1:
    Suspect 1
    height: 6’ 2
    hair color: gray
    transport: roller skating
    time: 11:45

    Suspect 2
    height: 5’ 7
    hair color: red
    transport: skateboard
    time: 11:55

    Suspect 3
    height: 6’ 9
    hair color: black
    transport: running
    time: 12:05

    Suspect 4
    height: 5’ 11
    hair color: brown
    transport: bike
    time: 12:15

    Suspect 5
    height: 6’ 6
    hair color: blonde
    transport: walk
    time: 12:30

    SOLUTION 2:
    Suspect 1
    height: 6’ 2
    hair color: gray
    transport: bike
    time: 11:45

    Suspect 2
    height: 5’ 7
    hair color: red
    transport: skateboard
    time: 11:55

    Suspect 3
    height: 6’ 9
    hair color: black
    transport: running
    time: 12:05

    Suspect 4
    height: 5’ 11
    hair color: brown
    transport: roller skate
    time: 12:15

    Suspect 5
    height: 6’ 6
    hair color: blonde
    transport: walk
    time: 12:30

    Now, if you intentionally didn't include the word "directly" in clue number 2, then there are many other possible solutions.

    &nbsp;
     
  12. YallMean

    YallMean Member

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    This is not a math problem. It is a logic problem.
    I haven't given a serious thought after a quick skim. I think you can use a table to solve this problem.
     
  13. YallMean

    YallMean Member

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    Lsat is way harder than this. :mad:
     
  14. theogcasey

    theogcasey Member

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    Hahahahaha
    Am I the only person that thought that was funny?
     
  15. droxford

    droxford Member

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    So.....

    I'm really surprised that nobody else has tried this puzzle.

    Am I correct in the solution that I provided? Did I miss anything?
     
  16. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    Yes. Yes, I can. :eek:
     
  17. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    I assumed yes on all your questions since there were five listed activities and Q4 explicitly stated directly.

    I also assumed from Q2 that the Walker and the Blondie were different people. I guess they could be the same person if the riddler wanted to be purposefully vague, but like you said, that would create different answers.
     
  18. ScriboErgoSum

    ScriboErgoSum Member
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    You have to assume A-C are true. That's the way these puzzles work. 1 person does each of the criteria.

    2. The man who was 5'11 came by the house before the man who was walking (who wasn't the 5'7 man) and the man who has blonde hair.

    Clue 2 initially tells you a few things:

    1) the 5'11 guy was not the walker
    2) the 5'11 guy did not arrive at 12:30 (since he arrived before someone else)
    3) the 5'7 guy was not the walker
    4) the 5'11 guy was not blonde
    5) the blonde guy did not arrive at 11:45 (since he arrived after someone else)
    6) the walker did not arrive at 11:45 (since he arrived after someone else)

    I did not initially assume that the blonde and the walker were different people. That did prove to be true when my grid started filling in.
     

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