Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ut-sally.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!mordor!ut-sally!bulko
From: bulko@ut-sally.UUCP (Bill Bulko)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: A "logic puzzle"
Message-ID: <4071@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Jan-86 11:05:49 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.4071
Posted: Wed Jan 29 11:05:49 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Feb-86 00:29:04 EST
References: <292@watdragon.UUCP>
Reply-To: bulko@sally.UUCP (Bill Bulko)
Distribution: net
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 33

wasaunders@watdragon.UUCP (Alec Saunders) writes:
>
>	Two friends are walking down the street. One says to the other "Do
>        you have any children?". The other replies "Yes - three sons".
> 
>        The first asks "How old are they?", to which the second replies
>
>		"The sum of their ages is thirteen, the product of their ages
>		 is as old as you are. The oldest weighs 61 pounds."
>
>	How old are the three sons? For that matter how old is the friend?
>	And what does the eldest weight have to do with anything???
>

The weight of the oldest child is probably meant to be used as a constraint for
his age.  However, I think the information given is inadequate for a solution
unless we make a few (reasonable) assumptions:  (1) that the children are at
least one year apart from each other in age (since there was no mention of
twins);  (2) that the man's age is appropriate for the age of his children;
and (3) the friend's age is roughly equal to that of the man (a *major*
assumption).

Solutions for the problem producing an appropriate age for the father are:
9/3/1 (with the friend's age 27), 8/4/1 (32), and 7/5/1 (35).  You'd have to
consult a table of average heights and weights to figure out which age (9, 8,
or 7) best fits a weight of 61 pounds.

_______________________________________________________________________________
	  "In the knowledge lies the power." -- Edward A. Feigenbaum
		       "Knowledge is good." -- Emil Faber
Bill Bulko					Department of Computer Sciences
The University of Texas         {ihnp4,harvard,gatech,ctvax,seismo}!sally!bulko
_______________________________________________________________________________