Jokes and Riddles Centre - Page 10

Slick · #91 July 31st, 2003, 07:47 AM

This is not a riddle, but I remember the problem like it was yesterday. It was one of the first word problems I ever had to do while taking algebra. Hmmm... 24 years ago... It's a wonder I went on to engineering school. Anyway, this thing kicked my butt:

A ship is twice as old as its boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. The sum of their ages is 49 years. How old is the ship and how old is the boiler?

Word problems. Oh, the memories...

Slick.

Kamog · #92 July 31st, 2003, 07:49 AM

Edit: by coincidence, I posted a more or less the same question!

[ July 31, 2003, 06:51: Message edited by: Kamog ]

Phoenix-D · #93 July 31st, 2003, 08:01 AM

"A ship is twice as old as its boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. The sum of their ages is 49 years. How old is the ship and how old is the boiler?"

First sentence is a complicated way of saying that the ship is twice as old as the boiler. Therefore, 2x+y =49.

EDIT: actually the first sentence is just complicated period. Sheesh.

More correct therefore:
y =2x
x+y = 49

substitute. 3x =49
x = 16.333
y = 32.666

Boiler is 16 years, 4 months. Ship is 32 years, 8 months.

[ July 31, 2003, 07:07: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

Jack Simth · #94 July 31st, 2003, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Slick:
A ship is twice as old as its boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. The sum of their ages is 49 years. How old is the ship and how old is the boiler?

Assuming the boiler at the time referred to was the same age as the ship was at that time....

Ship + Boiler = 49
Ship = 2 * Boiler

=> 2 * Boiler + Boiler = 49
=> 3 * Boiler = 49
=> Boiler = 49/3 = 16 1/3
=> Ship = 2 * 49/3 = 32 2/3

Boiler is 16 and 1/3 years old,
Ship is 32 and 2/3 years old.

Kamog · #95 July 31st, 2003, 08:20 AM

I think the intended meaning of the question is:

The age of the ship today is twice what the age of the boiler was, back when the ship used to be the age that the boiler is today. The sum of the age of the ship today and the age of the boiler today is 49 years.

..it's hard to word it so it's not confusing.

Slick · #96 July 31st, 2003, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jack Simth:

quote:
Originally posted by Slick:
A ship is twice as old as its boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. The sum of their ages is 49 years. How old is the ship and how old is the boiler?

Assuming the boiler at the time referred to was the same age as the ship was at that time....

Ship + Boiler = 49
Ship = 2 * Boiler

=> 2 * Boiler + Boiler = 49
=> 3 * Boiler = 49
=> Boiler = 49/3 = 16 1/3
=> Ship = 2 * 49/3 = 32 2/3

Boiler is 16 and 1/3 years old,
Ship is 32 and 2/3 years old.

A good shot, but not correct. Deciphering the wording is the hardest part. Once you have a correct algebra equation, you are home free.

Slick.

[ July 31, 2003, 07:23: Message edited by: Slick ]

Slick · #97 July 31st, 2003, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
"A ship is twice as old as its boiler was when the ship was as old as the boiler is. The sum of their ages is 49 years. How old is the ship and how old is the boiler?"

First sentence is a complicated way of saying that the ship is twice as old as the boiler. Therefore, 2x+y =49.

EDIT: actually the first sentence is just complicated period. Sheesh.

More correct therefore:
y =2x
x+y = 49

substitute. 3x =49
x = 16.333
y = 32.666

Boiler is 16 years, 4 months. Ship is 32 years, 8 months.

nope. try again. The first sentence is saying more than you have accounted for.

edit: good night, all. I'll check back in the morning on your solutions.

Slick.

[ July 31, 2003, 07:29: Message edited by: Slick ]

Phoenix-D · #98 July 31st, 2003, 08:31 AM

The first bit is just frigging nuts.

Kamog · #99 July 31st, 2003, 08:44 AM

I'm not going to answer this one because I've seen something very similar before.

---

Here's a riddle...

You need to take a fox, a chicken and some grain across a river. Your boat is just big enough to carry yourself and only one of the three items.

If you leave the fox and the chicken together, the fox will eat the chicken. If you leave the chicken and grain together, the chicken will eat the grain.

How do you safely get the fox, chicken, and grain to the other side of the river?

Jack Simth · #**100** July 31st, 2003, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamog:
I'm not going to answer this one because I've seen something very similar before.
---

Here's a riddle...

You need to take a fox, a chicken and some grain across a river. Your boat is just big enough to carry yourself and only one of the three items.

If you leave the fox and the chicken together, the fox will eat the chicken. If you leave the chicken and grain together, the chicken will eat the grain.

How do you safely get the fox, chicken, and grain to the other side of the river?

1) Take chicken across
2) return empty
3) Take fox across
4) return with chicken
5) Take grain across
6) return empty
7) take chicken across

Done