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Around the World

Posers and Puzzles

B
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So a man is going to go aronnd the world continously, in a model airplane that can go at the fast rate of 1 degree a minute. His airplanes can hold onlf 180 minutes of fuel, and there is only 1 runway that they can use, so he decides to make 3 airplanes, all exactly alike. There is one for Proffesson Okuahanga (call him PO), one for Hifid, and one for Menty. All of the airplanes can transport fuel simultaneously, and can turn around on a dime. How can PO pull this off?

B
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An organized list of what you know:
3 ships
All 3 ships have enough fuel to go halfway around the world
All 3 ships can turn around on a dime
All 3 ships can transport fuel to other ships at the same time
Only one runway for refueling
The ships can go 1 degree around the world a minute

What do you do?

venda
Dave

S.Yorks.England

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Originally posted by BongalloJoe
An organized list of what you know:
3 ships
All 3 ships have enough fuel to go halfway around the world
All 3 ships can turn around on a dime
All 3 ships can transport fuel to other ships at the same time
Only one runway for refueling
The ships can go 1 degree around the world a minute

What do you do?
Is the latitude relevant?

B
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Originally posted by venda
Is the latitude relevant?
equator or prime meridian.
sorry bout that.

B

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One plane flies with him a quarter of the way around the world, giving him half a tank of fuel at the quarter mark and then turning around and returning to the runway.

He now has enough fuel to make it to the three-quarters-around point.

When he is halfway around the world, the third plane begins flying toward him. When they meet (at the three-quarter mark), it turns around, gives him a quarter tank of fuel, and flies back with him to the runway.

I'm guessing that's the solution you had in mind, although there are some practical problems with timing the refueling, and accounting for the volume of fuel in the refueling hose, and the fact that the circumnavigating plane will run out of fuel exactly at 3/4 around, and details like that.

roma45
st johnstone

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Originally posted by Bloodnok
One plane flies with him a quarter of the way around the world, giving him half a tank of fuel at the quarter mark and then turning around and returning to the runway.

He now has enough fuel to make it to the three-quarters-around point.

When he is halfway around the world, the third plane begins flying toward him. When they meet (at the three-quarte ...[text shortened]... at the circumnavigating plane will run out of fuel exactly at 3/4 around, and details like that.
i did think of that, but if two leave together say A and B plane B needs a quarter tank to get safely home so if he used a quarter tank to get there, if both left together then plane A only used a quarter tank so will have three quarters left so plane A cant take the half tank from B only a quarter

or have i missed something?

can fly for 180 degrees on a full tank 360 to circle the world so plane A needs two tanks of fuel cant see how it can be done unless plane B and C give up fuel with no chance of returning

roma45
st johnstone

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my son solved it, i think hes heard it before
spoiler alert

Start three planes from the island (yours and two others). After going 1/8 around, one plane refuels both yours and the other plane with 1/4 of a tank each, leaving it with 1/4 of a tank which is precisely enough to take it home.

Two planes continue with a full tank again.

Reaching 1/4 around the other plane transfers 1/4 tank of fuel to yours, leaving it with 1/2 tank, to take it precisely home again.

Your plane is now full at 1/4 and can go to 3/4 with that fuel.

The first returning plane refuels and start off the other way meeting your plane at its 3/4 position, where your plane is empty and the meeting one is half empty. Sharing their fuel they have both 1/4 tank left which can take them to the 7/8 position.

The remaining plane has arrived there in the meanwhile with 3/4 tank giving 1/4 to the other now empty planes.

All three planes have now 1/4 and can return home.

What a trip

B
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This is where I saw the riddle. It waits and says the question, then gives an organized list of what you have to solve.

Go to youtube, search Ted Ed - can you solve the airplane riddle?
Sorry I can't copy and paste, I'm on a kindle.

HandyAndy
Read a book!

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Originally posted by BongalloJoe
This is where I saw the riddle. It waits and says the question, then gives an organized list of what you have to solve.

Go to youtube, search Ted Ed - can you solve the airplane riddle?
Sorry I can't copy and paste, I'm on a kindle.
Hey Joe:
Did you name yourself after Bungalow Joe's restaurant in Louisville,
home of the best no-nonsense hamburger east of the Mississippi?

B
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Nope. I never even knew that existed.

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