Solving the Math Department Puzzle Last Semester

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a unique puzzle related to a math department, where participants attempt to solve a series of questions with interdependent answers. The focus is on reasoning through the relationships between the answers rather than simply providing solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants clarify that only one answer should be circled per question.
  • One participant proposes an answer sequence but expresses confusion about specific questions (Q6 and Q17) and requests feedback on correctness.
  • Another participant challenges the correctness of the proposed answer and suggests that revealing the number of correct answers would be unfair.
  • Concerns are raised about accidentally seeing proposed answers, with a request for participants to obscure their responses.
  • A participant shares their answer sequence with formatting for clarity and notes their experience of confusion with certain questions.
  • Some participants mention having made mistakes on specific questions and express uncertainty about the relationships between answers, particularly for questions 6 and 17.
  • One participant describes the puzzle as a complex riddle based on relative answers and considers sharing it with friends.
  • A suggestion is made that understanding the number of questions with specific answers (A, B, etc.) helped in eliminating options.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of confusion and disagreement regarding specific answers, particularly for questions 6 and 17. There is no consensus on the correctness of proposed answers, and multiple interpretations of the questions exist.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the interdependence of answers, which complicates the solving process. Some express that their understanding of the puzzle is influenced by their approach to specific questions, indicating a reliance on reasoning rather than straightforward solutions.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in logic puzzles, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving strategies may find this discussion engaging.

JonF
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This was circulating about the math department last semester and I thought some of you might enjoy it. Good luck.


The solution to the following puzzle is unique; in some cases the knowledge that the solution is unique may actually give you a short-cut to finding the answer to a particular question, but it's possible to find the unique solution even without making use of the fact that the solution is unique.

1. The first question whose answer is B is question
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

2. The only two consecutive questions with identical answers are questions
(A) 6 and 7
(B) 7 and 8
(C) 8 and 9
(D) 9 and 10
(E) 10 and 11

3. The number of questions with the answer E is
(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3
(E) 4

4. The number of questions with the answer A is
(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 6
(D) 7
(E) 8

5. The answer to this question is the same as the answer to question
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5

6. The answer to question 17 is
(A) C
(B) D
(C) E
(D) none of the above
(E) all of the above

7. Alphabetically, the answer to this question and the answer to the following question are
(A) 4 apart
(B) 3 apart
(C) 2 apart
(D) 1 apart
(E) the same

8. The number of questions whose answers are vowels is
(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 6
(D) 7
(E) 8

9. The next question with the same answer as this one is question
(A) 10
(B) 11
(C) 12
(D) 13
(E) 14

10. The answer to question 16 is
(A) D
(B) A
(C) E
(D) B
(E) C

11. The number of questions preceding this one with the answer B is
(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3
(E) 4

12. The number of questions whose answer is a consonant is
(A) an even number
(B) an odd number
(C) a perfect square
(D) a prime
(E) divisible by 5

13. The only odd-numbered problem with answer A is
(A) 9
(B) 11
(C) 13
(D) 15
(E) 17

14. The number of questions with answer D is
(A) 6
(B) 7
(C) 8
(D) 9
(E) 10

15. The answer to question 12 is
(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D
(E) E

16. The answer to question 10 is
(A) D
(B) C
(C) B
(D) A
(E) E

17. The answer to question 6 is
(A) C
(B) D
(C) E
(D) none of the above
(E) all of the above

18. The number of questions with answer A equals the number of questions with answer
(A) B
(B) C
(C) D
(D) E
(E) none of the above

19. The answer to this question is:
(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D
(E) E

20. The answer to question 20 is
(A) E
(B) E
(C) E
(D) E
(E) E
 
Last edited:
Mathematics news on Phys.org
is it circle only one answer per question?
 
Answer:DADBEBBEDADADBADBADE
please tell me how many i got right because pair Q6,17 confused the hell outta me.
 
Last edited:
that is not right, and to tell you how many you got right would be cheating... not that far off though...
 
Hey, you guys are remembering to white out the proposed answers, right? Please? I don't want to accidentally see the answers. o:)
 
Here goes (highlight below for answer):
DAD BED DED ABA DBA DBA BE[/color]
The spacing is just for easier reading.
 
yeah i messed up 4 Qs ...don't think i messed up anymore
Q6, 17 really messed me up but honestrosewater answer doesn't make sense either for them. I couldn't figure out how there could be a solutionf or the 2.
 
good job honestrosewater, how long did it take you?
 
I had 6 & 17 backwards the first time, but 2 made me check it again. It makes sense to me now. It took me ~90 minutes, but I was very tired and would completely forget what I was doing every five minutes. :-p I was just determined to finish before going to bed.
 
  • #10
neurocomp2003 said:
yeah i messed up 4 Qs ...don't think i messed up anymore
Q6, 17 really messed me up but honestrosewater answer doesn't make sense either for them. I couldn't figure out how there could be a solutionf or the 2.

Wow, its like the ultimate riddle, based entirely on relative answers. I'm going to pass this around to my friends if you don't mind. :)

I have a pretty good idea about how to do this but I know that once I start I won't be able to stop, and I have other things to do today.

To help you out a bit neuro, I think the 6-17 answer has a computer programming background. It's quite obvious if you consider the fact that honestrosewater had them backwards for a while (that should be a hint, the fact that they appear interchangeable unitll you answer other questions). If you want I can go into more detail via PM.
 
Last edited:
  • #11
FYI: Figuring out the number of questions with answers A, B, etc. was a big help for me in eliminating other options.
 

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