Another bit of fun - Brain teaser with a maths feel

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alex_bell

Here's another brain teaser with a maths feel to it:

A woman answered her door to a man with a clipboard.

'Good morning Madam' he said, 'can you tell me how many children you have ?

'3' came the reply.

'How old are they ?' the man continued.

Annoyed by his rudeness, the woman decided to make him work for the answer.

'The product of their ages is 36' she said.

The man thought for a while and then said 'I need more information'.

'Very well' she said, 'the sum of their ages is the same as the number on the house next door.'

The man promptly jumped over the fence, looked at the number on the door and jumped back over the fence complaining 'I still need one more clue'. 'The eldest plays the piano' she smirked.

The man smiled and wrote their three ages down on his clipboard.

What were the ages of her three children ?
 

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Geoff Withnell

Re: Another bit of fun

SPOILER WARNING

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Your solution is defective, in that even between two twins, one is the eldest, even if only by minutes, and many twins make much of this.


Geoff Withnell
 
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alex_bell

Re: Another bit of fun

It's a bit of fun there are all sorts of pedantic flaws in the puzzle ignore them and just enjoy the mental work out.
 
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Geoff Withnell

Re: Another bit of fun

It's a bit of fun there are all sorts of pedantic flaws in the puzzle ignore them and just enjoy the mental work out.

Ah, but part of the mental work out is to pick logical flaws in the puzzle itself, and thereby challenge the puzzle maker.:D

Geolff Withnell
 
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alex_bell

Re: Another bit of fun

In that case I will await your proof that it is impossible for twins to be the exactly the same age.
 
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Geoff Withnell

Re: Another bit of fun

Doesn't need to be impossible (although my wife says "only a man would consider the possibility"), it is just sufficient for my purposes that having two six year olds does not necessarily result in a singular "eldest".


Geoff Withnell
 
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alex_bell

Re: Another bit of fun

Well from the evidence you have available you cannot say there is an eldest, when their ages are 1, 6 & 6. You can definitley say there is an eldest when the ages are 2, 9 & 9. Your flaw only exists if you make the assumption that one twin must be older than the other.
 
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Arjay

Re: Another bit of fun

Sorry for bringing this back up just so coz I can't hold back. :rolleyes: Yes, there is always an elder between twins (or triplets, quadruplets, etc.) and this does exist in the space of only a few minutes. Age isn't necessarily confined to just years in such cases. There will always be a gap of time, either in natural birth or c-sections, between each birth. They don't have to be born before and after midnight before we accept the existence of those few minutes do we?

:biglaugh:I have to confess though, just like Geoff observed, twins tend to make a fuss about this and I happen to be one.
 
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