Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: That Buzzing Sound

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  • Kyle Matthews,

    Even if his computer got "hacked", which I doubt, nobody in the NZ police would be able to track anything down. They do motoring offences, shoplifting and brawls, not IT security.

    The police have a... I forget the unit name... electronic crimes unit or something. Mostly civilians, IT graduates. They would have done the investigation into the technical details.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • dyan campbell,

    Length is always greater than width but has less influence. A natural conundrum?

    Jigsaw Paradox

    Didn't Friedrick Schelgel and Lewis Carroll solve that one Steve? Fermat's Last Theorem is gone too, I'm afraid.

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 595 posts Report

  • Sam F,

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    A natural conundrum?

    Is that the same as this?
    3 guys go out for pizza'
    was a nice spinach, sundried tomato, olives and feta one.
    On payment, each puts in $10.00 and gives $30.00 to their waiter.
    Waiter returns with $5.00 change and the guys take $1.00 each and offer the remaining $2.00 as a tip to the waiter
    therefore each guy was happy with their $9.00
    Well if 3 x 9 =27 + 2(waiter tip) =29.
    What happened to the other $1.00?

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    Pizza? shouldn't that be Curry?
    Which leads me nicely to.
    You are in a room with two exits and two guards. One door leads to freedom the other door leads to death. One guard always tells the truth the other always lies.
    You are allowed one question. What is that question?.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    Oh, thank you Dyan. I can see me spending the rest of the day with bits of cut up paper and massive hair loss.
    :-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Fn+1 × Fn-1 = Fn × Fn-1 + Fn-1 × Fn-1 and Fn × Fn = Fn × Fn-1 + Fn × Fn-2. Their difference is
    Fn+1 × Fn-1 - Fn × Fn = - (Fn × Fn-2 - Fn-1 × Fn-1).

    I love maths.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    Sam F:

    Lulz.

    How about the "brown budget"? :D

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Islander,

    Bart Jannsen - cool. Last looked into this 3 years ago, and obviously, much more tasty stuff published. Between you & dyan & refs, I'll get up to layperson speed -many thanks both!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Deborah Coddington's column about Christine Rankin is worth reading.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Mrs Skin,

    Deborah Coddington's column about Christine Rankin is worth reading.

    Wow. It most certainly is.

    the warmest room in the h… • Since Feb 2009 • 168 posts Report

  • Steve Parks,

    Am I the only person who took the puzzles seriously? Oh well...

    Is that the same as this?
    3 guys go out for pizza'
    was a nice spinach, sundried tomato, olives and feta one.
    On payment, each puts in $10.00 and gives $30.00 to their waiter.
    Waiter returns with $5.00 change and the guys take $1.00 each and offer the remaining $2.00 as a tip to the waiter
    therefore each guy was happy with their $9.00
    Well if 3 x 9 =27 + 2(waiter tip) =29.
    What happened to the other $1.00?

    The $9 represents each person's contribution to the $30 handed over, minus their change of $1 each. In other words, the $9 is their share of the total price of the pizza plus their share of the tip. Therefore, the $9 includes the tip already, so it's incorrect to add the $2 tip to the 3 x $9 ($27). You should only add the change, which is three dollars and so adds to the correct total of $30.

    I haven't figured out Steve's puzzle yet.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Brent Jackson,

    Steve Parks wrote :

    Am I the only person who took the puzzles seriously?

    I was familiar with both puzzles so it'd have been pointless to simply write down the answers without letting people have a crack at them.

    With regard to the Pizza puzzle, I find that analysing the start and finish conditions shows most easily where the money goes, namely :
    Start : 3 guys with $10 each

    Finish : 3 guys with $1 each
    Waiter $2
    Restaurant $25

    This makes it obvious that the $2 should not be added to the $27 paid, but subtracted from it to find the amount that the restaurant got.

    Keep working on the other puzzle - its a good one, and quite simple once you know the trick.

    Cheers,
    Brent.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 620 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    Am I the only person who took the puzzles seriously? Oh well...

    No Steve, I have been perplexed with Dyans and I am getting there. :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Steve Parks,

    Brent,

    Yeah, once you clarify the situation in your head, that one resolves pretty quickly.

    I know the answer to the guard one, I'd actually heard it before so will leave that for others.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Only too happy to help Islander.

    It works both ways - you and all the others here help me understand things I just didn't get previously so I'm only too happy to return the (much appreciated) favour.

    Re the jigsaw:
    5/2 does not equal 8/3

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    The moribound swan reappers only to offer a pertinent link: last night my belle and I happened to be watching an old episode of the daily show(*) featuring an interview with Mike Huckabee. Here's part II, where they discuss gay marriage. Huckabee makes a series of annoying points that Emma addressed in her post, but Stewart scored big for me when he said - and I paraphrase - that one of the great indignities of our time is that we are forcing gays to make the case of why they deserve equal rights.

    (*) Admission of derangitude: we watch the daily show and the colbert report, but since we couldn't possibly spend that kind of time in front of the telly every week, instead of jumping ahead we just keep falling further and further behind. We're up to December 08 now. On the plus side, it was nice to get a repeat of election night.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Steve Parks,

    Anyone wanting elaboration on Bart's answer to the jigsaw puzzle, see here.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Posted in the wrong thread. Argh. Gots lots of those puzzles if we want to mega-threadjack.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Steve Parks,

    How to find Gio's missing hour a week to watch tele?

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Oh, no, that's too easy. Invent a time machine, go back in time and advise him against having so many children.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • 3410,

    Keep working on the other puzzle - its a good one, and quite simple once you know the trick.

    It is (a good one, I mean), though there is one peice of required information that is possibly impled but not stated. Namely that each guard knows which door he guards.

    So, to recap (with apologies to Steve Barnes):


    You are in a room with two exits and two guards.
    One door leads to freedom the other door leads to death.
    Each guard knows which door he guards.
    One guard always tells the truth the other always lies.

    You are allowed one question. What is that question?

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Oh that's easy. You grab one guard by the neck, hold your dagger to his throat, and explain that he can point out the right door, no pissing about, and he comes with you.

    The problem with you intellectuals is that you're always overcomplicating things.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    No wait I saw this in a Bowie movie.

    The girl grabs one of the nose rings and stuffs it the guard's nose...

    No, it's gone again. Nevermind.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • 3410,

    lol, Stephen.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

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