How Many Children Does the Man Have?

  • Context: High School 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a logic puzzle involving a man and the number of children he has, based on clues provided about the total number of children, the distribution among families, and a specific home number. Participants explore various interpretations and calculations related to the puzzle, including the implications of the clues given.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that the man has 5 children based on the information provided.
  • Others question whether it is possible for the man to have 6 children, indicating a lack of clarity in the reasoning.
  • A participant suggests that the home number could be interpreted in various ways, leading to confusion about its relevance.
  • Some participants discuss the importance of the guest's question regarding the smallest family's number of children, suggesting it eliminates several possibilities.
  • There is a debate about whether the puzzle can be solved without certain cultural assumptions regarding the home number.
  • Several participants calculate potential products of the number of children and explore combinations that fit the criteria given in the puzzle.
  • One participant notes that the guest's ability to determine the number of children hinges on the uniqueness of the solution based on the clues provided.
  • Another participant reflects on the nature of the puzzle, comparing it to other logic problems and expressing frustration over the multitude of potential solutions.
  • Some participants identify specific combinations of numbers that could represent the families' children, discussing their products and sums.
  • A later reply suggests that the only viable solution involves the smallest family having more than one child, leading to a definitive answer of 5 children for the man.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the number of children the man has, with some asserting he has 5, while others believe 6 could also be a possibility. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of the home number and the uniqueness of the solution.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the puzzle's solution may depend on specific cultural interpretations of the home number and the assumptions made about the distribution of children among families. There are also unresolved mathematical steps and combinations that lead to multiple potential answers.

Who May Find This Useful

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

  • #31
I think I got it. Werg22 pushing us toward the right clue with every post he makes. I think I got it before I start reading second page. Here it is.
Guest knew the house number, that means he could eliminate some possibilities. But he needed more info.
Why? Because he had more than one possibility the product of which numbers gave him still the same house number. The way he asked his last question means that he had some possibilities with family A having 1 kid and with family A having more than 1 kid the product of which numbers would be equal.
Now let's see the possibilities with family A having more than 1 kid. There only 6 possibilities I found:
2345, 2346, 2347,2348, 2356, 2357, 2456. The product of which gives us 120, 144, 168, 192, 180, 210, 240 accordingly. I found only 2 possibilities starting with 1 kid and product of which numbers is matching with the product of my other 6 possibilities. It's 1456 and 1358. The product of these numbers gives us 120. Since the guest didn't need any more clues after his last question, there were more than 1 kid in family A (family with the lowest number of kids). That gives us the only one sequence of numbers 2345. The host has 5 kids.
 
Last edited:
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  • #32
wow that was great thinking!
 
  • #33
amazing
 

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