15 Feb 10
A postman rings at a door. A man opens the dorr and tells the postman :
"Hi, I have 3 daughters. Multiplying their ages gives 36, and adding their ages is the number of the white house behind you."
The postman looks at the house and says : "I don't see !"
The man replies : "Oh, I forgot telling you : the eldest one is blond !"
and the postman gives the three ages (in full years, idest 7, 13, ..).
What are the three ages ?
15 Feb 10
Originally posted by japy104I think I've got it!
A postman rings at a door. A man opens the dorr and tells the postman :
"Hi, I have 3 daughters. Multiplying their ages gives 36, and adding their ages is the number of the white house behind you."
The postman looks at the house and says : "I don't see !"
The man replies : "Oh, I forgot telling you : the eldest one is blond !"
and the postman gives the three ages (in full years, idest 7, 13, ..).
What are the three ages ?
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16 Feb 10
1 edit
Originally posted by japy104Im going to take a shot and say 9,2,2.....
A postman rings at a door. A man opens the dorr and tells the postman :
"Hi, I have 3 daughters. Multiplying their ages gives 36, and adding their ages is the number of the white house behind you."
The postman looks at the house and says : "I don't see !"
The man replies : "Oh, I forgot telling you : the eldest one is blond !"
and the postman gives the three ages (in full years, idest 7, 13, ..).
What are the three ages ?
I started by listing all factors of 36
36,18,12,9,6,4,3,2,1
since 36 is not a perfect cube rule out triplets
I come up with 7 possibilties in no particular order for 3 factors of 36 multiplied to give 36
9*4*1, 6*6*1 ,36*1*1 ,18*2*1 ,6*3*2 ,9*2*2 ,3*3*4
which have coresponding sums
14, 13,38,37,11,13,10
Since the postman doesnt see the numbers on the white house the sum is irrelivant
narrowing it down to possibilities with equal sums
6*6*1 and 9*2*2
only one of which has an eldest
9,2,2
16 Feb 10
Originally posted by joe shmoI figured if the children were 9,2,2 it would be obvious who was the eldest and that the man said his eldest was blonde to distinguish her from her brunette twin; hence 6, 6, 1
Im going to take a shot and say 9,2,2.....
I started by listing all factors of 36
36,18,12,9,6,4,3,2,1
since 36 is not a perfect cube rule out triplets
I come up with 7 possibilties in no particular order for 3 factors of 36 multiplied to give 36
9*4*1, 6*6*1 ,36*1*1 ,18*2*1 ,6*3*2 ,9*2*2 ,3*3*4
which have coresponding sums
14, 13,38,37 ...[text shortened]... to possibilities with equal sums
6*6*1 and 9*2*2
only one of which has an eldest
9,2,2
Didnt twig that 13 was the only duplicate sum ... reasoned that the owner of the White House was superstitious therefore no number implied 13!
23 Mar 10
Originally posted by joe shmo
narrowing it down to possibilities with equal sums
6*6*1 and 9*2*2
only one of which has an eldest
9,2,2
Actually 6,6,1 is also correct.
One of the twins have to be the oldest, you know 😀
And the oldest can be blond, just as the other twin.
