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From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell)
Newsgroups: comp.databases,rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: SQL puzzle
Message-ID: <59008@bbn.BBN.COM>
Date: 19 Aug 90 14:07:26 GMT
References: <125@guug.guug.de> <12518@encore.Encore.COM>
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jkenton@pinocchio.encore.com (Jeff Kenton) writes:

}From article <125@guug.guug.de>, by greil@guug.guug.de (Anton Greil):
}> 
}> Can you solve the following puzzle by SQL?
}> 
}> "Here is an arithmetical problem which is belonging to the  great
}> classics.   Two  natural  numbers were selected which are greater
}> than 1 and less than 100. The sum of these two numbers  was  told
}> Mr. S, the product of the numbers was told Mr. P.
}> 
}> Each of the two men doesn't know the number of the other.  Mr.  P
}> rings up Mr. S:
}> 
}> P: I can't find the two numbers.
}> S: I knew, that you would not succeed.
}> P: Oh ... But now, I know them!
}> S: In this case, I know them too."


}...  Solved by following the clues:

}> P: I can't find the two numbers.

}Therefore, the PRODUCT has at least 3 prime factors, all less than 50.

...

But he didn't ASK to have it solved by 'following the clues' [not to
mention the explicit request about 'SQL', I assume from his mentioning
that it is a classic that he is familiar with the traditional solution
There is no problem with posting it, of course, but we have NOT yet
solved the problem he posed.  It is pretty mindboggling that one could
specify an SQL query that would return JUST the pair of numbers that
solves theproblem...  The matter at hand is NOT to solve the puzzle,
per se, but to come up with *SQL* to solve it...

  /Bernie\