mcdermot@unmvax.UUCP (03/20/84)
<>
Perhaps this has appeared here before, but I have not seen it posted:
The Census Taker Problem
A certain census-taker is very good at mental arithmetic. One day, in
the course of his duties, he approaches a certain house, noting the house
number in his book as he reaches the front door. In response to his ring,
a man comes to the door.
The c-t then asks the man the usual questions about his age, marital
status, etc., and gets satisfactory answers. The C-t then asks, "Are there
any others living in the house; if so, how old are they?" After a pause
the man replies, "There are three others. The product of their ages is
1296 and the sum of their ages is the same as the number of this house."
After a pause the c-t asks, "Is any one of the others the same age
as you?" The man replies, "No." The c-t then leaves, saying he has all the
information he needs.
If the man had replied, "Yes," the c-t would still have had all the
information he needed. QUESTION: "What is the number of the house?"
Good luck.
--
John McDermott {gatech|ucbvax|parsec}!mcdermot
Univ of NM W (505) 277-4650
Albuquerque, NM 87131 H (505) 255-7796hopp@nbs-amrf.UUCP (03/27/84)
Gur ubhfr ahzore vf 91. Guvf nffhzrf gung gur ntrf bs gur crbcyr
ner vagrtref. Bgurejvfr gur ceboyrz vf ernyyl gbhtu! Gur jnl
V trg 91 vf nf sbyybjf:
4 2
1296 = 2 k 9
Guhf gur cbffvoyr ntrf bs crbcyr va gur ubhfr ner:
1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 16, 18, 36, 72, 81, 144, 162, 164, 648, 1296
Jr pna rahzrengr nyy gevcyrf fhpu gung rnpu ryrzrag vf sebz guvf yvfg
naq gur cebqhpg vf 1296. Jvgubhg ybff bs trarenyvgl, jr pna nffhzr
gung gur ryrzragf ner va aba-qrpernfvat beqre. Vs gur fhz bs bayl bar
fhpu gevcyr fhzzrq gb gur ubhfr ahzore, gur p-g jbhyqa'g unir gb nfx
nalguvat ryfr. Fvapr ur qvq, jr nffhzr gung xabjvat gur fhz naq cebqhpg
qvq abg havdhryl qrgrezvar gur gevcyr. Gur bayl gevcyrf bs gur nobir
rahzrengvba gung qb abg unir havdhr fhzf ner (1, 36, 72) naq (2, 8, 81),
obgu bs juvpu fhz gb 91. Gur p-g'f ynfg dhrfgvba bayl znxrf frafr vs
gur zna orvat vagreivrjrq jnf bar bs gurfr ntrf, va juvpu pnfr gur
dhrfgvba jbhyq qrgrezvar juvpu gevcyr jnf pbeerpg. Ibvyn!
--
Ted Hopp UUCP: {seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!nbs-amrf!hopp
National Bureau of Standards ARPA: hopp.nbs-amrf.umcp-cs@udel-relay
Metrology A127 BELL: (301)921-2461
Washington, DC 20234