What are the ages of the host's daughters and his apartment number?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter PRodQuanta
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a brain teaser posed by a party host regarding the ages of his three daughters and his apartment number, based on given clues. Participants explore the mathematical reasoning and logic required to deduce the ages and apartment number from the clues provided, including the possibility of twins.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that the daughters' ages could be 8, 3, and 3, based on the product of their ages being 72 and the sum leading to the apartment number, while noting that the possibility of 2, 6, and 6 is ruled out by the clue about the oldest daughter.
  • Another participant questions the ethicality of the guests, suggesting that the clue about the oldest daughter loving strawberry pudding was crucial for solving the puzzle.
  • A humorous exchange occurs where a participant claims to have used pudding packs as a bribe to learn the ages, ultimately concluding that the oldest daughter is 8 and the twins are 3.
  • There is a suggestion that the host may not have intended for guests to figure out the apartment number, implying a potential oversight in the puzzle's design.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the ethical implications of solving the puzzle and the interpretation of the clues. There is no consensus on the approach to deducing the ages and apartment number, as multiple interpretations and methods are discussed.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the uniqueness of the oldest daughter's age and the implications of having twins, which are not fully resolved. The ethical considerations regarding the guests' actions also remain open to interpretation.

PRodQuanta
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The host of the party was wonder what to do to make the party a little more interesting. So he though for a second, and he yelled out,"If anyone can solve this brain teaser, I will give you $20." This got the crowd's attention.
The host then thought for a minute, and he said,"If you can figure out the age of my 3 daughters, and my appartment number, from the clues I give you, you win!" He then stated the following clues:

1)The product of multiplying my daughter's ages together will give you the number 72.

2)The sum of my daughter's ages together will give you my appartment number.

A man in the crowd thought for a second, and had an idea. So he ran out and looked at the host's appartment number. He came running back in screaming,"Not enough information. Not enough information!"

The host realized his mistake. He then gave the next clue:

3)My oldest daughter LOVES strawberry pudding.

From the information about, figure out the ages of the host's daughters and the appartment number of the host. You must prove why you came up with your answer.

My clue:
There may be twins.
Whole numbers only.

Paden Roder

Once again, I may have, by accident, left little details out. If you are having trouble, just ask.
 
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My answer : <select to see>Their ages are 8,3,3 (other possibility with sum = 14 is 2,6,6 is ruled out by the eldest daughter clause). The only squares that divide 72 are 4, 9, 36 resulting in the possibilities : (2,2,18), (3,3,8) and (6,6,2). Fortunately for me, the last two of these sets have the same sum, and one of them has a unique largest element. [/color]

I think the host didn't intend the guests to also figure out the house number. If that were so, the dude that ran outside to check was breaking the rules - or at least violating the spirit of the question. Besides, it would be unlikely that all the guests made it to the correct house without knowing the house number.
 
Last edited:
Gokul, what makes you think all of the guests were ethical. Personally, knowing the oldest daughter loved strawberry pudding was the clue I needed.

I quickly pulled out the assortment of pudding packs I always carry around with me for emergencies, selected one of the strawberry flavored ones, and simply told the oldest daughter I'd give her a pack of strawberry pudding if she told me how old she and her sisters were.

Select to see her answer:


"No way. I'd never sell out my sisters. Make it three pudding packs and you've got a deal."














(Sorry for the delay - I had to go get more pudding packs)
I eventually found out the oldest daughter was 8 and her twin sisters were 3.

[/color]
 
Once again, Gokul with a point. Nice story BobG. hehe.

Paden Roder
 

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