funny math problem

by Nowhere 11 Replies latest social entertainment

• 

  Nowhere

  Two old friends meet each other on the street:

  - How are you and the kids? You have three sons don't you? How old are they now?, the first friend asks.

  - Yes, I have three sons, the other one answers. The product of their ages is 36, and the sum of their ages is the same as the number of windows on that house over there, the second friend answers.

  -I still don't know the answer, there is something more you don't tell me?, the first friend says.

  - Right, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that my oldest son has got red hair, the second friend answers.

  Now the first friend knew the ages of the kids.

  How old are the kids?
• 

  jst2laws

  Hello Nowhere,

  OK, I ignored the seeming irrelevant info and did a little ciphering. I came up with two possibilities:

  1, 2 &18 or 2, 3 & 6. This is certainly wrong because I think there should only be one answer and I have two and the answer is supposed to amount to a "funny math problem", and there is nothing funny yet.

  I'll keep watching

  Jst2
• 

  Nowhere

  :This is certainly wrong because I think there should only be one answer

  There is a one and only answer.

  :I ignored the seeming irrelevant info

  You cannot solve the problem, without the info given.

  Ok, maybe not funny haha, but funny because it is simple, but looks so hard.
• 

  AlanF

  How about this, by process of elimination?

  The only possibilities mathematically for the ages of the kids are:

  1 1 36

  1 2 18

  1 3 12

  1 4 9

  1 6 6

  2 2 9

  3 3 4

  2 3 6

  Since the two friends have not seen each other for a long time -- presumably more than one year -- this immediately eliminates all but the last three possibilities. Because the first man mentions the [i]oldest[/i] rather than the [i]older[/i] of the threesome -- remember the difference bettween "between" and "among" -- that eliminates the first two of the last three possibilities. The only one left is that the ages are:

  2 3 6

  Is that right?

  AlanF
• 

  Nowhere

  :Since the two friends have not seen each other for a long time -- presumably more than one year this immediately eliminates all but the last three possibilities

  My fault, bad choice of words (or bad English grammar). The kids can be of any ages 1-36, and 'oldest' were supposed to cover both the 'oldest' and the 'older' possibility. It isn't a trick question were the answer is found in the words (or grammar).

  You are definitely on the right track with a process of elimination, and the first step was correct.
• 

  RAYZORBLADE

  I'm going to say that the three boys are: triplets - 12 X 3 = 36

  There will be an eldest even in a set of triplets, whomever is delivered first.

  That's just my guess. Who knows, the real answer may baffle me yet.
• 

  Fe2O3Girl

  We are told that the product of the ages is 36, AlanF listed the possibilities.

  We are told that the sum of the ages is a number which is not disclosed (number of windows).

  At that point the friend says he needs another piece of information, so there must be more than one possible answer for the product and the sum specified. From AlanF's list, only two combinations give the same answer for their sum: 1, 6, 6 and 2, 2, 9.

  I think the answer is 2, 2, 9, because the last clue is a reference to the oldest son, not oldest sons.
• 

  onacruse

  I agree with Ferric Oxide Girl :

  The first friend offers the additional info:

  the sum of their ages is the same as the number of windows on that house over there

  This proposes that there is a unique summation of the ages of the children.

  Using AlanF's permutations, and taking summations:

  1,1,36=38

  1,2,18=21

  1,3,12=16

  1,4,9=14

  1,6,6=13

  2,2,9=13

  2,3,6=11

  3,3,4=10

  The second friend is still bemused, which gives the clue that the summation is not unique. This then leaves only the ages 1,6,6 or 2,2,9 as possibilities.

  my oldest son

  in the singular, indicates that there is a sole older child. Therefore 2,2,9 is the answer.

  My question is...what are their names?

  Craig
• 

  Ed

  My question is...what are their names?

  Dennis, Nigel, and Giuseppe. Go on, prove I'm wrong.
• 

  Nowhere

  Congratulations!