Dad always loved a good riddle, puzzle, mind challenge, etc. John's story about the mouse trap is a great example of this. I remember Dad used to play chess, messing with a Rubicks cube, some wooden puzzle thing he picked up at a yard sale...whatever he could find to challenge his mind. I remember once he even bought this math "system" off of the T.V. because it promised to increase your speed to solve math problems exponentially. Of course he made Sherry and I watch it (for the record, I still count on my fingers). Nevertheless, he loved a good riddle too.
I walked into the living room tonight after talking with Becky (doing okay) and Rob was watching Die Hard With a Vengenance. He immediately asks me if I know how to figure out the "water jug" riddle given to Bruce Willis in the movie. He kept going over it and over it with no avail. 5 weeks ago, the first thing I would have done would be to call Dad and see if he could figure it out. Well, I knew he WOULD figure it out, but how quick would be the real challenge. There was an instant pang in my heart that I couldn't make that phone call. I imagine there will be a lot of those moments....
So, I thought it might be fun to see if any of his other kids might be able to solve this riddle that I know Dad would have gotten a kick out of. NO cheating. You can find the answer online, but you know Dad would be frowning if anyone did that. (Yes, Rob and I found it online so we could sleep tonight, but I'm not pretending I figured it out on my own. I still count on my fingers remember.) I'll post the answer in a few days if no one gets it. Good luck!
You have a 5 gallon jug, a 3 gallon jug, and an endless supply of water. What process do you go through to have EXACTLY 4 gallons in one jug? It must be exact, as the jug will be placed on a scale. If measured correctly, you disarm the bomb and save the day!
9 comments:
can make a mark on the two jugs ?
If so you pour the five gallon full,then you fill the thee gallon emtey it put the two remaining gallons from the five gal container into the emtey three gall container mark the two gall mark pour back into the 5 gal fill to the two gal mark on the three gal container pour two more galons into the five container 2 + 2 = 4 maybe?
Holy Cow.... I'm impressed Adem. I couldn't begin to figure this out. Math makes my head hurt. Dana, it is good to hear from you. My heart is pang pang panging just lately. today I am just sick that I never got to go to a yard sale with dad or watch him watching you girls play with baby bunnies. all I seem capable of this week is crying about all the time I didn't get to see him. so useless. I am like Sherry a little sadder as time goes by instead of a little better. two weeks before Christmas Dad was still telling me that he would have plenty more visits with all of us. I guess it was better for him and for us to believe that. baby is crying. got to go. thanks for writing.
Adem, in a perfect world you would have a marker to use...but Bruce Willis has narrowly escaped death several times by now and neither of them have a way to mark the jug. There IS a way to do it (two methods, actually) without using any kind of marker. Awesome try though. Keep going!
Heir Apparent?
OK,first thanks Dana.. Adem hit it on the head.. this is a Dad thing. Second thanks again for contributing.. we all get to know who he was better and who is is in us in a more complete way through this process. So back to your riddle. I peeked at this yesterday and scribbled something like Adem's solution but then figgured I couldn't use a marker. Then today I was peeling garlic at the sink and it hit me: Fill the 3 gallon jug an d pour it into the 5 gallon jug. Now refill the 3 gallon one and pour as much as you can into the 5 gallon jug. Now you have exactly 1 gallon remaining in the 3 gallon jug. Empty the 5 gallon one and pour one gallon in it... then fill the 3 gallon up and pour it on top of the 1 gallon in the 5 gallon jug... did I diffuse a bomb or look way macho or something cool? In related Dad feats - this week I took half a day off for the Maytag man to show up and fix my washer (surrounded by almost a week of laundry). First, he says... I can't work on it because your dryer's on top of it. Then he says, I think the detergent drawer might be the problem and I said "Yeah that is what I told the dispatcher a week ago and had him tell you to bring the part." To which he said.. well I don't have it. I can order it and come again in 8 days. I was very reserved realizing that this was part Sears part him. So I said fine. I noticed that he wrote magnet on the parts form and 10 minutes after he left I fixed the washer with a magnet from my sonicare toothbrush! The parts came this weekend so I'm going to install them myself and cancel the 150 dollar labor for the second visit.... I remember Collene once absolutely swooned because Dad was so smart he fixed the washing machine all by himself... I guess I have joined the ranks of "McGuiverers"...
I think this may be a way not only way riddel and in keeping with the dad way Im saying mine is the fastest posable way and when it comes to a marker I have dads nose which is a grease marker just a litel squeze and I have a white marker that will stick to any thing. Did anyone eals get to see dads strawberry nose trick..... ick ?
I vote for Adem's!
It might be iffy/harder to get it 100% right...but Dad always flew by the seat of his pants. :D
That's how I would have done it also...
I'm not sure I want to know about the strawberry nose thing...ick?
Reach...hang in there, sis.
We're all in this together.
::hugs::
eww weee! hot post Dana! Hats off to Robert for his washing machine fix... very dad like. I think Robert's 4 gallon solution is not the one ol' Bruce used. And though it didn't happen that way in the movie, Adem's way seems the easiest. you could scratch the jug with all the broken glass strewn about the place. Re: strawberry nose. very ick. Dad had so much oil in his pores that he could push up on the end of it (think pig nose) and he would have little white dots of oil ALL over his nose. pair this with the monkey lips goodnight kiss and you had the stuff of nightmares... except it was Dad so it was funny funny funny. feeling better lately. it was 15 below zero at our house this morning! will try to post something upbeat soon.
Ding, ding, ding...we have a Weiner! :) Congratulations Robert!
Rob's answer is correct (as far as not using a marker). Here is the other method that you could use too:
1. Fill the 5 gallon jug and decant the water into the 3 gallon jug. This leaves two gallons in the big jug.
2. Empty the 3 gallon jug and pour in the two gallons from the 5 gallon jug, leaving space for one gallon in the small jug.
3. Refill the 5 gallon jug and pour water from it into the 3 gallon jug until the small jug's full.
4. That leaves exactly four gallons in the big jug; put it on the scale and the bomb is disarmed.
I think Dad would have been happy to see us all working on this.
Dana
And the beauty of those two solutions is that no Nose Grease is wasted in the process. Eewww... I have to say that although I can readily imagine it Adem... I was never party to the famous "strawberry nose" demonstration...
Thanks for the Puzzle Dana. =-)
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