Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site charm.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxl!mhuxj!mhuxi!charm!mam From: mam@charm.UUCP Newsgroups: net.puzzle Subject: Re: A New Number Puzzle (SPOILER) Message-ID: <166@charm.UUCP> Date: Fri, 11-Nov-83 00:35:17 EST Article-I.D.: charm.166 Posted: Fri Nov 11 00:35:17 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Nov-83 13:55:36 EST Organization: Physics Research - AT&T Bell Labs MH Lines: 62 The ages are (drumroll, please) 2,2,9. The reasoning: First list all combinations of 3 numbers whose product is 36. You make this easier on yourself if you start by requiring that the numbers be in ascending order, and starting with a 1 in the first column: 1 1 36 1 2 18 1 3 12 1 4 9 1 6 6 (this is last one with a 1 first; the next would be 1,9,4 which we already have) 2 2 9 2 3 6 3 3 4 The third clue was that the sum of the ages was some given number. We don't know what that number is, but we do know that it does not uniquely select out one of these combinations - if it did, the extra clue wouldn't be needed. The only lists which have equal sums are 1,6,6 and 2,2,9 Now, we are told some garbage about the "oldest". Thus, there must be an oldest. Since people in Problem-Land age in discrete steps, there is no "oldest" in (1,6,6), so the ages must be 2,2,9. Matthew Marcus {Bell labs machine}!{physics|charm}!mam