Solve the Riddle: Old Man Walks Across Bridge With 3 Bars

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In summary, the man facing a dilemma of crossing a bridge with a weight limit of 80kg while carrying 3 gold bars each weighing 1kg. He cannot swim, fly, or throw the bars, and must walk across the bridge with the bars within 1-2m of him at all times. The solution is to juggle the bars, but it is not effective due to the force of accelerating and decelerating the gold.
  • #1
flirt
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This one may take a while to get to the physics but is a good challenge for a mate with a sharp mind. My friends would like to know the answer and the physics behind it, so any answers would be appreciated.

There was an OLD man out for a walk one afternoon and he decided to walk across a long wooden bridge that leads to a mine on the other side, before he walkes across the bridge he noticed a sign, which stated “this bridge will collapse if anything heavier that 80kg’s is placed on it”. After reading this the old man resumes his walk over the bridge knowing full well he only weighs 78 kg and is safe from it collapsing. He reaches the other side and goes in the mine, a min. later he walk’s out with 3 gold bars each weighing 1kg. The man then resumes on back to the bridge. Once he reaches the bridge he finds himself with a dilemma. He has to cross the bridge with all 3 bars otherwise by the time he gets back for the last bar he fears someone would of taken it, but if he crosses the bridge with all three bars this would then make his weight more than 80kgs (81kg) and the bridge would collapse. How does he do it?

*you can not swim
*you can not fly
*you can not throw the bars
*HE MUST WALK ACROSS THE BRIDGE
*the bars must be in a close vicinity to him at all time (1-2m at the most away from him and he must always be holding that majority of the bars {e.g. 2bars})

The answer you supposable should come up with is …. “He juggles them”. This is were the dilemma comes in, each time the man throws the bar up in the air is he not pushing down on the bridge with a greater weight than the brick itself (e.g. velocity mass force all play a role) and let's also assume he catches the brick with the other hand, wouldn’t there be a greater force exerted by catching the brick than holding it at stand still because of the gain in velocity from gravity on its fall.

These are all theoretical but the speed at which he tosses the bricks into the air would have a factor in the force pushing down.

Try and figure it out and remember “for every action there is a greater or equal reaction”
 
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  • #3
flirt said:
Try and figure it out and remember “for every action there is a greater or equal reaction”
What's that? Newton's 4th law? :wink:

(Assuming you are talking about action/reaction forces ala Newton's 3rd law, then "action" and "reaction" are exactly equal and opposite. These forces are better called "3rd law pairs" than "action/reaction".)
 
  • #4
flirt said:
This one may take a while to get to the physics but is a good challenge for a mate with a sharp mind. My friends would like to know the answer and the physics behind it, so any answers would be appreciated.

There was an OLD man out for a walk one afternoon and he decided to walk across a long wooden bridge that leads to a mine on the other side, before he walkes across the bridge he noticed a sign, which stated “this bridge will collapse if anything heavier that 80kg’s is placed on it”. After reading this the old man resumes his walk over the bridge knowing full well he only weighs 78 kg and is safe from it collapsing. He reaches the other side and goes in the mine, a min. later he walk’s out with 3 gold bars each weighing 1kg. The man then resumes on back to the bridge. Once he reaches the bridge he finds himself with a dilemma. He has to cross the bridge with all 3 bars otherwise by the time he gets back for the last bar he fears someone would of taken it, but if he crosses the bridge with all three bars this would then make his weight more than 80kgs (81kg) and the bridge would collapse. How does he do it?

*you can not swim
*you can not fly
*you can not throw the bars
*HE MUST WALK ACROSS THE BRIDGE
*the bars must be in a close vicinity to him at all time (1-2m at the most away from him and he must always be holding that majority of the bars {e.g. 2bars})

The answer you supposable should come up with is …. “He juggles them”. This is were the dilemma comes in, each time the man throws the bar up in the air is he not pushing down on the bridge with a greater weight than the brick itself (e.g. velocity mass force all play a role) and let's also assume he catches the brick with the other hand, wouldn’t there be a greater force exerted by catching the brick than holding it at stand still because of the gain in velocity from gravity on its fall.

These are all theoretical but the speed at which he tosses the bricks into the air would have a factor in the force pushing down.

Try and figure it out and remember “for every action there is a greater or equal reaction”

Ok, weight is essentially mass * net-g force. The man deccelerates and accelerates the gold bars everytime it is passes. The energy he puts into them goes back as energy he gets back. If the gold bars experience an upward g-force greater than 1 g, then the technique is useless when you have two gold bars in the hand at the same time. If the gold bars experience an upward g-force greater than 2 g's, then it is useless to juggle at all.
 
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  • #5
In short, flirt, you are right that juggling wouldn't help because of the force of accelerating/decelerating the gold bars.
 
  • #6
What if he threw two up, then caught them before they started falling down, after throwing the last one up, and repeating?
 
  • #7
He can't thorw them.

What if he two lays one bar on one part of the birdge then he carries the other one then he lays that one down and goes gets the other one and he keeps doing until he gets across.
 
  • #8
What about taking off 1 kg of clothes?

Or what about removing 1 kg of boards off the bridge?
 
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  • #9
kmarnas86 you thinking out of that square arnt you, that didnt even cross my mind, well done

scott1 even if he could do that the bridge would still have 3 kg more weight on it and it would be the same as the guy holding them, therefore break bridge
 

1. How does the old man use the 3 bars to solve the riddle?

The old man uses the 3 bars as a way to measure and compare the weight of different objects. By using the bars as a scale, he is able to determine which object is heavier or lighter than the others.

2. What is the significance of the bridge in the riddle?

The bridge serves as a barrier or obstacle for the old man to cross. It also represents a challenge that he must overcome in order to solve the riddle and reach his destination.

3. How does the old man's intelligence play a role in solving the riddle?

The old man's intelligence and critical thinking skills are essential in solving the riddle. He must use logic and reasoning to come up with a solution using the limited resources he has.

4. What is the purpose of the 3 bars in the riddle?

The 3 bars represent a limited amount of resources that the old man has to work with. They also serve as a tool for him to use in solving the riddle and reaching his destination.

5. What does the riddle teach us about problem-solving and resourcefulness?

The riddle teaches us that sometimes, the solution to a problem may not be obvious and we must think creatively and use the resources we have available. It also highlights the importance of being resourceful and making the most out of what we have.

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