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- From: mort@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Jeff Mortensen)
- Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 09:46:11 GMT
- Subject: Re: Riddle -
- Message-ID: <17500181@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM>
- Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Path: sparky!uunet!usc!sdd.hp.com!hpscit.sc.hp.com!scd.hp.com!hpscdm!hplextra!hpfcso!mort
- Newsgroups: rec.humor
- References: <By0Msr.7uu@newcastle.ac.uk>
- Lines: 40
-
- In rec.humor, dlovely@meaddata.com (David Lovely) writes:
-
- > |> > A man is talking to a zoo keeper :
- > |> > Man : How many animals are there in your zoo?
- > |> > ZK : Well, I can tell you that there are 64 heads and 186 legs?
- > |> > Is it possible to work out the answer to the mans question from this?
- > |>
- > Assume that there are X 2-legged animals and Y 4-legged animals:
- > 2X+4Y=186 (1st statement)
- > X+ Y= 64 (2nd statement)
- > ---------
- > 2X+4Y=186
- > 2X+2Y=128 (Multiply both sides by 2)
- > ---------
- > 2Y= 58 (Subtraction)
- > ---------
- > Y= 29 (Division)
- > ---------
- > X+29= 64 (From above, substituting 29 for Y)
- > ---------
- > X =35
- >
- > Therefore, there are 35 2-legged animals and 29 4-legged animals.
- > So there are (naturally) 64 animals in the zoo!
- Ahh, but this is only one possible solution if the question
- had been different. I still think 64 animals is the solution
- to the exact question. If they had asked for a breakdown then
- yours is probably the best, but this could be broken down into
- a matrix also....33 2 legged animals, 30 4 legged animals and
- one no legged animal.....still adds up to 186 legges, and 64
- heads....and so forth.....
- Morty
- >
- > --
- > *******************************************************************************
- > David P. Lovely I can't believe it!
- > Mead Data Central We just elected another Jimmy Carter.
- > Dayton, Ohio Vote KEMP in 96!
- > NO DISCLAIMER NEEDED (Nobody claims me anyway!)
- > *******************************************************************************
-