As I was going to St. Ives

gravenewworld

I'm sure a lot of you may have heard this riddle before so if you have don't post the answer right away for those who haven't

As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with 7 wives
Every wife had 7 sacks
Every sack had 7 cats
Every cat had 7 kits
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives how many were going to St. Ives?

The Bob

Hightlight for my answer:Surely the answer is none or one because the kits, cats, sacks and wives have not been said to be moving at all, thus the answer is none are going to St. Ives. However, if the answer is one then it is only because you ('As I was....') are travelling there. Therefore will have to say the answer is none.

The Bob (2004 ©)

jcsd

Is that St. Ives in Cornwall or St. Ives in Cambridgshire? (this riddle is as old as the hills to me as my dad would always ask it when we went for our holidays in St. Ives in Cornwall)

franznietzsche

1, just you...right?

gravenewworld

you are correct

Alkatran

Did anyone else thinkg "It's one", then do the math anyways?

7^4 = 49^2 = 50^2 - 50 - 49 = 2500 - 99 = 2401

RandallB

Were you saying correct to "1" ???
It would be ZERO - since your question was:

"Kits, cats, sacks, and wives how many were going to St. Ives?"

Also 2401 is just the kits.
include 7^1 and 7^2 and 7^3 for a total of 2800
7^0 would be the man but he wasn't part of the question either.
RB

BobG

2,801 are headed to St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, while I am headed to St. Ives, Cornwall.

Surfing in Great Britain. Who'd a thunk it.

gravenewworld

The answer is 1. The only person going is the narrator. The last sentence is to throw you off, the only person going according to the first line is the narrator. Don't read too much into the problem.

The Bob

So I was infact correct?

The Bob (2004 ©)

Ian Rumsey

sixtysix if you include the bus driver.