Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Problem Solving Skills

T LEE ... You may be right. Most likely you are. However, that still has nothing to do with the "riddle" and the fact that it's an impossible riddle that leaves itself open to having someone "make up" something else to add to the "riddle" so that it can be solved. Had BCR replied by saying something like "sorry, I typed out the riddle wrong.. I was supposed to tell you that they called in their elder who rode in to help them" ... then at least you would be able to say "ahhh... he RODE IN... ON A HORSE ... and they could use that horse, etc etc etc... But, he didn't reply that way, did he?

Anyway, I wasn't meaning to be critical... just simply pointing out the fact that it is not possible to solve the riddle in any logical way as it was presented in the first place. I don't think anyone can dispute that. No hard feelings, seriously. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well to someone like me, riddles might as well be the secret of the universe anyway, never was good at them. Just that I know BCR, he ain't nobodys fool and is a true gentelman.

T LEE ... as I said... I'm sure you're right about him. I haven't had the pleasure to get to know him and can only comment on what I see... which is what I did. Didn't mean to offend anyone if I did... never was my intention.

No sweat man, just let her sink to the bottom.

Got it, but an explanation is way too lengthly. Basically one uses a first balance of 2 of the 3 groups of 4 to establish that either group 1 and 2 are equal and 3 is odd or that group 1 or 2 have an odd ball. One then compares 3 known equals against 3 of the 4 from the suspect group. If they are equal the 4th is odd. If the 3 equals vs 3 suspects is different then third balance involes 2 of the three from the suspect group. If they are equal the 3rd ball is odd. Here's a web site where one can practice. http://members.aol.com/kmgames/oddball/12balls.htm

WGM - no need to have another horse. Heck, do it with a circle drawn on the ground with the word "horse" written in it. The idea is that there is only 17/18ths of a legacy accounted for.

Besides, you should be devoting your free time to solving the 12 ball problem <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

These problems aren't supposed to be the last word in reality either. They're just supposed to get you thinking either analytically or creatively. Here's the one that is supposedly the origin of "thinking outside the box".


Arrange 9 dots in a square 3x3 matrix like so:


. . .
. . .
. . .


Now, take a pen/pencil, and 1) without lifting it from the paper 2) draw 4 straight lines that 3) do not retrace themselves but 4) connect all 9 dots.


Regards,
Scott

I hear ya man... it's all good. And I do know the matrix one... you must " think outside the box " ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

WGM I sort of sense that my answer to you sort of give you offense. Sorry about that as I just didn't think how it might have read. Reading it again I see it was sort of sharp.

The 17 horse deal was just an old old old story. Lord, Moses might have thought it up on a slow day and used jackasses or something.

Now if I remember the way I wrote it I believe I said they asked a stranger riding by.

I see how I can fix it to answer your objection and when I tell it again I'll do her. You want me to do it now? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here's a hand across the campfire to my coonass fellow poster. How's about we shake on it and just forget the whole deal? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


BCR

BCR ... don't worry about a thing. Me and my coonass self are no worse for the wear, and neither should you be. The fact that I took issue with the way you posted the riddle means nothing of you. Likewise, I should infer nothing about you from the way you posted. Flip that 'round, and apply that to me, and we're back to where we should be. Here's my hand right back to ya... all is well at the campfire. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here is the method I came up with. Blame it on too much Computer Science instruction. After thinking in binary and hex, jumping to trinary wasn't that big of a leap. I'd never heard of the other method of solving this. But I first was presented with this in the early 90's. Prior to having the ability to look up everything on "tah interweb".



Weigh the balls like so:

______________Unweighed_______Left Pan (1)_______Right Pan (2)

First weighing____9,10,11,12_________1,2,3,4_______5,6,7,8
Second weighing__3,5,6,11___________1,2,8,10______4,7,9,12
Third weighing____2,5,8,9____________1,4,7,11______3,6,10,12


Now For each weighing, you will have a result of:

0 - the pans are even.
1 - the left pan is heavier
2 - the right pan is heavier

You are essentially creating a three digit, base three, number.

If the weighings go Even, Even, Left, we'll write this as 001, if the weighings go Right, Left, Even, we'll write this as 210, etc..

Here's the matrix for results, just for the particular combination of weighings that I devised.

001 11 is heavy
002 11 is light
010 9 is light
011 12 is light
012 10 is heavy
020 9 is light
021 10 is light
022 12 is heavy
100 5 is light
101 6 is light
102 3 is heavy
110 2 is heavy
111 1 is heavy
112 unused
120 8 is light
121 4 is heavy
122 7 is light
200 5 is heavy
201 3 is light
202 6 is heavy
210 8 is heavy
211 unused
212 4 is light
220 2 is light
221 7 is heavy
222 1 is light


Now if you look, each ball has a unique number, and also uses its' "opposite" ie ball four uses 121 and 212. If it appears as 121, the ball is heavy, if it appears as 212, the ball is light...


At any rate, it appears there are multiple methods to solving the problem. I like this one because all the logic is done in devising the table, and none of it needs to be done during the weighing.

Regards,
Scott

(edited for formatting)

I think my head isgonnaesplode! You guys are making me dizzy, think I'll go find some jokes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Pardon me,Scott, but is you speaking English?

BCR

Kinda. Sorta. Mostly....

Here's an old one, that is somewhat timely. You CAN answer this one with the information provided, but you have to be aware of your surroundings...

There is a man. He wants to go home, but he cannot, because there is a masked man there... Who is the man in blue?

The umpire?
--Bob

Hey - good thinking. But wouldn't the umpire be the man in black?

Scott

Scott-
The umpire clothing emporiums (emporia?) that advertise on the web have navy blue and black shirts for sale.
officialsupplies.com

Maybe I'm wrong about the ump. We'll wait patiently for Bug to reveal all.
--Bob