Solve Enjoyable Enigmas with Mr.E's Challenge

  • Thread starter Thread starter Enigman
  • Start date Start date
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
1,043 replies · 208K views
:biggrin:
They all are at the same position and exactly between number 1 and 2.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Enigman said:
Next one (one of the more sillier ones)
In a clock all the hands are exactly placed between numbers 1 and 2. What time is the clock showing?
Does the clock have a second hand?
 
Last edited:
Borg said:
Does the clock have a second hand? If so, I don't think that they can all align exactly.

Oh they can! Remember think out of the box- when you remain inside the box your fate is as uncertain as the cat's...I love opening boxes...<sinister laugh>
Yes it does with reference to your question.
 
Enigman said:
Oh they can! Remember think out of the box- when you remain inside the box your fate is as uncertain as the cat's...I love opening boxes...<sinister laugh>
Yes it does with reference to your question.
I was thinking of the wrong time when I wrote that but I still think that the time differs based on whether or not it has two or three hands. So which is it? :confused:

Edit: I see that you edited or I missed that you said yes. Three hands it is.
 
Edited it actually.
Another EDIT: Perhaps actually looking at a clock might help...
 
The hour hand moves [tex]360^\circ / (12 *60) min = .5 ^\circ / min[/tex]
Similarly, the minute hand moves [tex]360^\circ / 60 min = 6 ^\circ / min[/tex]

If we start at 12, you need to subtract one hour's rotation from the minute hand such that we have the following equations:
[tex]\theta_{hr} = t * .5 ^\circ[/tex]
[tex]\theta_{min} = (t - 60) * 6 ^\circ[/tex]

Solving for t:
[tex].5t = 6t - 360[/tex]
[tex]t = 360/5.5 = 65.4545 \hspace{2 mm} minutes = 1:05:27[/tex]
When the minute and hour hands align, the second hand would be around 27 seconds.
 
Borg said:
The hour hand moves [tex]360^\circ / (12 *60) min = .5 ^\circ / min[/tex]
Similarly, the minute hand moves [tex]360^\circ / 60 min = 6 ^\circ / min[/tex]

If we start at 12, you need to subtract one hour's rotation from the minute hand such that we have the following equations:
[tex]\theta_{hr} = t * .5 ^\circ[/tex]
[tex]\theta_{min} = (t - 60) * 6 ^\circ[/tex]

Solving for t:
[tex].5t = 6t - 360[/tex]
[tex]t = 360/5.5 = 65.4545 \hspace{2 mm} minutes = 1:05:27[/tex]
When the minute and hour hands align, the second hand would be around 27 seconds.
This is a 'silly' puzzle I believe I mentioned. Also at that time all hands will be exactly in the middle of 1 and 2...looking at a clock really might help...
Hint:
no math is involved at all.
 
On the Holmes enigma:

Had anyone suggested that Watson's office was obviously much better maintained, fresh paint, new stair treads, etc, I would have accepted that as a correct answer, because only a financially successful physician could keep on top of cosmetic considerations. So, if you supposed Holmes might have seen signs of continued life-long upkeep and renovation on Watson's side, that should be accepted as a good answer, despite not being the actual one in the story. I was prepared to accept any answer that made good all around sense.

The one given in the story makes good all around sense and is even more obvious and plausible.

I don't think the one suggested by collinsmark makes a lot of sense, since people tend to abandon doctors who don't cure them quickly and they try elsewhere. Recall I described Watson's predecessor as "successful," "popular," and "sought after."

The wording of these enigmas should help you discern the kind of answer being asked for. In fact, when enigman went through and correctly punched up every single important word, I was pretty sure he'd effectively spoiled the riddle, making the answer too obvious.
 
Enigman said:
Next one (one of the more sillier ones)
In a clock all the hands are exactly placed between numbers 1 and 2. What time is the clock showing?

Since you said the answer is "silly," then I'm going to venture the guess that the clock is showing it's time to get a new clock. The gearing in an analog clock is such that the hour hand and minute hand can't possibly both be in the position you suggest at the same time. The clock's gears must be stripped.
 
Gad said:
1:38? :biggrin::-p
nope
zoobyshoe said:
Since you said the answer is "silly," then I'm going to venture the guess that the clock is showing it's time to get a new clock. The gearing in an analog clock is such that the hour hand and minute hand can't possibly both be in the position you suggest at the same time. The clock's gears must be stripped.
Not that silly...just think out of the box...not out of the watch.
Watch is showing a perfectly legitimate time. Seriously, has anyone looked at a nice clock with all 1-12 numbers on the dial after reading the Enigma? I face-palmed myself as soon as I saw one...When I was solving it myself that is.
 
Gad said:
Lol! NOON!

And Gad Scores the Goaaallll!
Too sleepy to give an Enigma wait till I wake up
:zzz:
 
Enigman said:
Seriously, has anyone looked at a nice clock with all 1-12 numbers on the dial after reading the Enigma? I face-palmed myself as soon as I saw one...When I was solving it myself that is.
I have two analog clocks right in front of me. I tried cranking the hands on one to the position you require and the gearing will just not allow it. If the hour hand is right between 1 and 2 the minute hand has to be at 6. If the minute hand is between 1 and 2, the hour hand has to be slightly past one, it cannot be exactly between 1 and 2.

Seriously, if you have a clock whose hands can be put in the position you require, it's time to get a new clock.
 
Enigman said:
And Gad Scores the Goaaallll!
Too sleepy to give an Enigma wait till I wake up
:zzz:

If you're accepting this logic you should accept my logic. There are actually two acceptable answers.
 
zoobyshoe said:
I don't think the one suggested by collinsmark makes a lot of sense, since people tend to abandon doctors who don't cure them quickly and they try elsewhere. Recall I described Watson's predecessor as "successful," "popular," and "sought after."

Sorry about that, but I was unable to resist the temptation to put a twist in the my answer.

It does remind me a riddle (so to speak) based on a true story though.

During WWII, statistician Abraham Wald was asked to help the Allied Forces decide where to add armor to their bombers. After analyzing the records, he recommended adding more armor to the places where there was no damage!

The Air Force was initially confused. Can you explain?​
(This is an easy one to research yourself with a quick Google search. So if you wish to figure it out for yourself, you'll have to stay away from Internet sleuthing.)
 
collinsmark said:
Sorry about that, but I was unable to resist the temptation to put a twist in the my answer.

It does remind me a riddle (so to speak) based on a true story though.

During WWII, statistician Abraham Wald was asked to help the Allied Forces decide where to add armor to their bombers. After analyzing the records, he recommended adding more armor to the places where there was no damage!

The Air Force was initially confused. Can you explain?​
(This is an easy one to research yourself with a quick Google search. So if you wish to figure it out for yourself, you'll have to stay away from Internet sleuthing.)
Here's my non-googled thinking:

Since his recommendation is counterintuitive on the face of it, we have to wonder why.

I happen to have read a lot of stories about the B-17 bombing raids on Germany out of England. There are a lot of accounts of planes making it back that, never-the-less, look shot to hell. On the other hand, a lot of planes got shot to hell and never returned.

Wald must only have had planes that made it back to examine. He probably concluded that the damaged parts of these planes were not critical. The planes that didn't make it back must have been damaged in places where these planes were undamaged. Those would be the critical areas, the areas that should be reinforced.
 
Enigman said:
And Gad Scores the Goaaallll!
Too sleepy to give an Enigma wait till I wake up
:zzz:

screw English..for real
 
zoobyshoe said:
Here's my non-googled thinking:

Since his recommendation is counterintuitive on the face of it, we have to wonder why.

I happen to have read a lot of stories about the B-17 bombing raids on Germany out of England. There are a lot of accounts of planes making it back that, never-the-less, look shot to hell. On the other hand, a lot of planes got shot to hell and never returned.

Wald must only have had planes that made it back to examine. He probably concluded that the damaged parts of these planes were not critical. The planes that didn't make it back must have been damaged in places where these planes were undamaged. Those would be the critical areas, the areas that should be reinforced.

Yes, that's the gist of it. :smile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Wald
 
zoobyshoe said:
Wow, then he goes and ironically dies in a plane crash.

I wonder if that means Enigman will ironically die in an enigma.

Sincerely hope I do...Perhaps a 'And there were none' scenario where I will be the judge...
Another one:
After a typist has written ten letters and had addressed the ten corresponding envelopes, a careless mailing clerk inserted the letters in the envelopes at random, one letter per envelope. What is the probability that exactly
nine letters were inserted in the proper envelopes?
 
Enigman said:
Sincerely hope I do...Perhaps a 'And there were none' scenario where I will be the judge...
Another one:
After a typist has written ten letters and had addressed the ten corresponding envelopes, a careless mailing clerk inserted the letters in the envelopes at random, one letter per envelope. What is the probability that exactly
nine letters were inserted in the proper envelopes?

By "exactly" you mean nine out of the ten make it into the right envelopes, no more, no less?
 
Yes...
use spoilers when you* give the answer...
Edit:*
 
Last edited:
Enigman said:
Yes...
use spoilers when give the answer...
Good idea.

I think there's a zero probability of that happening.
 
Yep.
And now:
You are taking a vacation on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is in a remote part of Maine and there has never been a bridge connecting the island to the land. Every day a tractor and wagon gives hay rides around the island to all the children. Puzzled as to how the tractor had gotten onto the island, you ask around and find out that the tractor was not transported to the island by boat or by air. Nor was it built on the island. The island has always been there. Explain how the tractor may have gotten there.
 
Enigman said:
Yep.
And now:
You are taking a vacation on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is in a remote part of Maine and there has never been a bridge connecting the island to the land. Every day a tractor and wagon gives hay rides around the island to all the children. Puzzled as to how the tractor had gotten onto the island, you ask around and find out that the tractor was not transported to the island by boat or by air. Nor was it built on the island. The island has always been there. Explain how the tractor may have gotten there.
My guess would be that the lake was created by a flood. What is now the island was high ground, and the tractor and wagon happened to be on that high ground when the flood occurred. So, the 'Island' has always been there, but the lake now surrounding it hasn't.
 
Nope that's not the actual answer though quite imaginative. Focus on the words which seem extraneous those are invariably a clue to the answer.
Edit: The Island ceases to be an island if its not surrounded by water but the island had always been there and so the lake too.
 
Last edited:
Is the transportation limited within Maine itself?
 
Enigman said:
Nope that's not the actual answer though quite imaginative. Focus on the words which seem extraneous those are invariably a clue to the answer.
The lake is in a remote part of Maine...
The tractor was carried to the island by the resident lake monster!
 
This is physics forums not fantasy forums...
Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.