Re: A86: [OT]Math problem

To: assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org
Subject: Re: A86: [OT]Math problem
From: Joshua J Seagoe <rabidcow@juno.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 1999 09:32:51 -0800
Reply-To: assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org

first factor 2450 to primes.
2450 = 2*5*5*7*7
then make a list of the possible ages
2,5,245  2,25,49  2,175,7
10,5,49  10,35,7  50,7,7
i believe the maximum human life span is something around 120 years. 
that eliminates two possibilities.  (not that it's terribly important,
but it saves time.)
add the rest together and divide by two to find the priest's age
2+25+49 = 76/2 = 38
10+5+49 = 64/2 = 32
10+35+7 = 52/2 = 26
50+7+7 = 64/2 = 32
mr smith new how old the priest was, yet still couldn't tell how old the
visitors were.  that leaves two possibilities:
10+5+49 = 64/2 = 32
50+7+7 = 64/2 = 32
he was told that he was the oldest one.  this allowed him to figure out
how old the other visitors would be.  he must have been 50.  if he was 49
or younger, he could not have been the oldest.  if he was older than 50,
he could not have figured out the ages of the visitors.

-josh

On Mon, 01 Nov 1999 12:56:02 EET "Andreas Finne" <a_finne@hotmail.com>
writes:
>
>Hello!
>
>I have got a maths problem, and I wonder if anyone of you can help me 
>to 
>solve this.
>
>One day Mr. Smith met the priest who told the following story:
>"Today I showed the church to three visitors and the funny thing was 
>that 
>the sum of their ages was exactly twice as big as my own age. When you 
>
>multiply the visitors' ages the result is 2450." The priest asked Mr. 
>Smith: 
>"Do you know how old they were?" After Mr. Smith had thought about 
>this for 
>a while, he answered "No, I don't". The priest then said: "If I tell 
>you 
>that you are the oldest of the five of us, do you know then?" "Yes", 
>said 
>Mr. Smith, who knew how old the priest was, "now I know." How old was 
>Mr 
>Smith?
>
>Pretty tricky, or is it?
>
>Andreas Finne
>a_finne@hotmail.com
>a_finne@iobox.fi
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>

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