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| geb9696 |
 Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 8:41 am Post subject: |
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Investing VP
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| It was up for a while before I came and saw it. I normally dont get a chance to solve then either. Guess nobody else saw that one. |
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| Dave Rathbun |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 2:00 pm Post subject: Challenge #5 |
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CFO
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I bought a book of math and logic puzzles a while back to use as challenges for another board I run. There it was for pride and fun only. Here it will be for e$500 per winning answer... first winning answer to each puzzle. Some of the puzzles are going to be actual math problems, others require logical thinking instead. I'm going to post no more than two challenges per week, and will try to post them at different times of the day in order to give folks that sign on at various different times a shot at winning the challenge. The rules:
- The answer in the book is final. Blame the publisher, not me, if you don't agree
 - The first person to post the correct answer wins. Posting only, no PM's please.
- You cannot win two challenges in a row, so the previous winner is not eligible for the next challenge.
- You may win more than one challenge, just not two in a row.
I won't post any more than one puzzle per day. That will let people argue over the answers.  Thanks for playing
Ready?
Here's your 5th e$ Challenge Puzzle!
Totday it's a challenge that at first appears to be an old fashioned "word problem" that used to drive kids crazy in algebra class. But when you read it again, is it really algegra? Or does it require logic to solve?
Two towns are linked by a railroad. Every hour on the hour a train leaves each town for the other town. The trains all go at the same speed, and every trip from one town to the other takes 5 hours.
How many trains are met by one train during one trip?
e$ Challenge Winner #1 Iceemaan
e$ Challenge Winner #2 nelaina
e$ Challenge Winner #3 conbrio
e$ Challenge Winner #4 geb9696
e$ Challenge Winner #5 ??? |
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| nelaina |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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CFO
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| nelaina |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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CFO
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| toys4tots16 |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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Investing Sr. Associate
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| Im gonna go with five but depending on how it it counted as to seeing a train, it could be six but ill take 5 |
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| conbrio |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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Investing Sr. Associate
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| CJ. Wentworth |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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Investing Sr. Associate
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I'd say 11 or 10
As the train leaves there are already 6 trains on the track coming in the opposite direction (including the one at the other town about to leave). Therefor a minimum of 6 trains he will pass. But for each hour he is on the track another train leaves the other town. Therefor after 1 hour another train is added to the track. He'll be on track for 5 hours (however I've already included 1 train in the first sentence) so another 4 trains will be coming in the 5 hour journey.
The reason I say 11 or 10 is that as he reaches the town another train is just about to leave and so it may not be classed as passing the train, as he doesn't go any further past the train to pass it.
Edit: I suppose another way to say it is that due to the fact the trains are moving at the same speed, but in opposite directions, he will meet a train every 30mins. In a 5 hour trip there are ten 30min intervals. Therefore it would dictate a passing of 10 trains.
Again as he arrives at town another train is about to leave and depending on how literal the book is on the meaning of passing he doesn't exactly pass this train (else he would go further than his final destination of the 2nd town).
I suppose though I'll have to stand by 11 if it comes down to it. |
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| nelaina |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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CFO
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| Im Not Warren Buffett |
| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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CFO
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| toys4tots16 wrote: | | Im gonna go with five but depending on how it it counted as to seeing a train, it could be six but ill take 5 |
I think its 5, but this problem isn't too clear. |
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| Dave Rathbun |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:14 am Post subject: |
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CFO
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Someone has stated the correct answer, but I will wait to confirm exactly who until the Monday crew has a chance to review the question. But we do have a winner at this time.  |
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| vetelmo |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:25 am Post subject: |
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Moderator
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| I say ten but my head hurts, lol. |
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| Dave Rathbun |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:43 am Post subject: |
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CFO
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| CJ. Wentworth wrote: | Edit: I suppose another way to say it is that due to the fact the trains are moving at the same speed, but in opposite directions, he will meet a train every 30mins. In a 5 hour trip there are ten 30min intervals. Therefore it would dictate a passing of 10 trains.
Again as he arrives at town another train is about to leave and depending on how literal the book is on the meaning of passing he doesn't exactly pass this train (else he would go further than his final destination of the 2nd town).
I suppose though I'll have to stand by 11 if it comes down to it. |
The wording doesn't exactly say "pass" is says "met". The answer is 11. Good thing you went with that as your final answer. 
e$500 will be sent shortly, and your name will be added to the e$ Challenge Hall of Fame.
Next puzzle will be posted on or after Wednesday morning for this week. See you then. |
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| Dave Rathbun |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:56 am Post subject: |
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CFO
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e$500 sent. Congratulations. Here's our e$ Hall of Fame list so far. I've made a rule that says you can't win twice in a row, and that's probably fair. There are 100 puzzles in the book. To make things more interesting, I'm going to put up an additional prize for when the last puzzle has been done. Here's how it will work.
Each "win" will result in your name being put into a hat. If you have won only once, you get one entry. If you have won 10 times, you get 10 entries. I will draw first, second, and third place winners out of the hat... and you may win more than once in the drawing. Meaning if you have 10 winners (out of 100 puzzles) then your name can be drawn for all three.
What are the prizes? I'm going to set up 3 "hidden" portfolios, each with e$2000 invested as the first trading day in March. These portfolios will each be funded and fully invested in a single stock that will be selected the old fashioned way, with a dart board.  I will select stocks that are in the S&P 500 index at the time of the purchase. I will purchase as many shares as possible with the e$2k, the remainder will remain in the portfolio as cash.
At the end of the month during which we solve the last puzzle from the book, the richest portfolio will be awarded to the first place drawing, the second richest to the second place, and so on. So the e$2000 initial investment could be... well, just about anything from e$0  to e$5000 to e$1,000,000 
e$ Challenge Winner #1 Iceemaan
e$ Challenge Winner #2 nelaina
e$ Challenge Winner #3 conbrio
e$ Challenge Winner #4 geb9696
e$ Challenge Winner #5 CJ. Wentworth |
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| Benjamin |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:58 am Post subject: |
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Administrator
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| Oooooh, cooooool! |
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| Dave Rathbun |
| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 10:10 am Post subject: |
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CFO
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| Benjamin wrote: | | Oooooh, cooooool! |
How about this for a modification... instead of first place getting the richest portfolio, how about first place gets first pick of A, B, or C without knowing the actual value? That way 3rd place might actually get the best stock? I like it. I think I'll do it that way instead. 
I'll include the "official" new rules in the next (and all subsequent) challenge puzzles. |
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