Riddle Me This

[Velitis]

Riddle Me This
Updated and Revised
July 19, 2005

Here belongs a rather interesting group of riddles. Maybe an organization will follow this in time, but for now, the title page is all I'm going to work on. If I do a Riddle/Answer link page, it will definitely come later.

Riddles are welcome here, but please try and keep just one going at a time. While the one who correctly answers the previous does not "have the floor," don't be flamboyant and post riddles like crazy.

Just use some common sense, folks.  

[Velitis]

For those of you who want to put on your thinking caps.. I have a question for you.

Eh-hem.

Riddle me this:

A census worker asked a mother for the ages (years, not months) of her three children. The mother replied that the product of their ages is 36, and the sum of their ages is the same as the address (house number) to the north. After looking at the address, the census worker returned and said to the mother: "I need more information." The mother said: "The oldest is sleeping upstairs."

What are the ages of the three children?
What is the address (house number) next door to the north?

Good luck.

Btw, first to answer correctly gets a cookie. A Jc Special Cookie. Deluxe Edition. Remastered. And in Dolby Digital. With Sprinkles.

What a deal! Woo!  

[Darz]

6, 3, 2
11

I don't know. I'm being random whee  

[Kai Karasurei]

Darz

6, 3, 2
11

I don't know. I'm being random whee

Well let us assess the clues.
The product of the ages is 36. Now if we take this mathematically then it means that the three(3) ages multiplied together equal 36. What other meanings for 'product' can we find.

The sum of the ages is equal to a particular house (number unknown) that is north (is direction important?).

The Sum and the Product are not enough to complete the riddle. The last clue is that the oldest is sleeping upstairs. What is the implication/importance of this statment?


These are the things we must consider....  

[Tarma_Falloner]

"The oldest is sleeping upstairs."

Meaning the oldest child? Or something else...? neutral And what is the significance of the house being "to the north"? confused  

[Darz]

xd I had nothing better to do at work, so I put an answer that I didn't even think through.

*shrug* I'm no good at riddles.  

[Kai Karasurei]

Also, do not forget that the age of a child could be one which means one of the other children could be much older (as old as 18 but no higher, unless it is exactly 36 and the two other childern are both 1)

Ha! I got it! Doi and here I was trying to rationalize it....its all about the freaking math (nearly failed that in school the last year...the only thing I have ever nearly failed.)

36 = 1 * 2 * 18 (21)
36 = 1 * 3 * 12 (16)
36 = 1 * 4 * 9 (14)
36 = 1 * 6 * 6 (13)
36 = 2 * 2 * 9 (13)
36 = 2 * 3 * 6 (11)
36 = 3 * 3 * 4 (10)

These are all the ways I figure you can make 36 out of three numbers. I was trying to find a unique number that corressponded somehow with house numbers and wierd relations to 36...but note that there are two sums which are the same. If there was ONE particular number which matched the house, the man would just have to list the ways to make 36 and match the number...but there wasn't. The man NEEDED MORE information. I.E. only the equations that did not yield a unique sum would pose the problem of not being able to match the numbers (still with me?)
So i know that its either (1,6,6) or (2,2,9). So now your wondering, okay...so what is next, how do you get the real answer? Well we know the oldest is sleeping upstairs...
so?
Well, if there IS an oldest, then it can't be (1,6,6) because the oldest two are of the same age, therefore it HAS to be (2,2,9) because there is an OLDEST at 9 years of age. Thus I give you the answers:
The children are 2 years, 2 years and 9 years old and the house number to the North (the direction of which doesnt matter which dissapointed me greatly) is 13!

YES! I so have to use this in my DND campaign...if i could figure out how to make it work.  

[Darz]

It would actually have to be 18, 2, and 1 if that's what your talking about. That would make the house number 21.

There are many more possibilities if the answer includes twins or triplets.

4x4x4 = 36
8x2x2 = 36
6x6x1 = 36

4+4+4 = 12
8+2+2 = 12
6+6+1 = 13

I have several more answers that are possible, but I'd rather not think of the raw statistics. I think there is a problem in introducing 1, twins, or triplets as a possible answer, however. I don't know why, though.  

[Kai Karasurei]

Darz

It would actually have to be 18, 2, and 1 if that's what your talking about. That would make the house number 21.

There are many more possibilities if the answer includes twins or triplets.

4x4x4 = 36
8x2x2 = 36
6x6x1 = 36

4+4+4 = 12
8+2+2 = 12
6+6+1 = 13

I have several more answers that are possible, but I'd rather not think of the raw statistics. I think there is a problem in introducing 1, twins, or triplets as a possible answer, however. I don't know why, though.

Thats why I almost failed math....I don't always think everything through...but it was a nice try at the answer right? So how do we figure which of the equations is right?  

[Darz]

*shrug* Your reasoning in your edited post makes sense to me.

I have yet another interesting twist.

36x1x1 = 36 = 38 (sum)  

[Kai Karasurei]

Darz

*shrug* Your reasoning in your edited post makes sense to me.

I have yet another interesting twist.

36x1x1 = 36 = 38 (sum)

Yes but if there are more possibilities....I dont know if it is the right answer any longer...right up until you mention the two 12s (since I already have the 6,6,1 combo)...in which case the answer could plausible also be 8,2 and 2 with a house number of 12. So there has to be one thing distinguishing the 12 sum and 13 sum equations...but what is it?

I'll just stick with m y previous answer and to hell with triplets confusing me....i did a lot of work at midnight for that bloody answer and it better be right. so there razz  

[Velitis]

Kai, I do say...

Excellent job! Your first answer of 229 is correct.

*Hands over the Special Edition Jc Cookie*

And Darz.. 4x4x4 is 64..  

[Kai Karasurei]

Latent Undoing

Kai, I do say...

Excellent job! Your first answer of 229 is correct.

*Hands over the Special Edition Jc Cookie*

And Darz.. 4x4x4 is 64..

YESSSSS! COOOKIE!
C is for cookie and thatsa good enough for me!
*holds cookie over his head*
Well, I've gotten better at math, but it still takes a while. But once I figured to compile as many possible equations as my little brain could handle it completes the relation between the clues. In every riddle, there is a key relation between all the clues...at least thats what I believe. It may not be right, but hey it works.
here is one I like.

Seluth and Doberler were two men working at a construction site. One day, Doberler made a challenge to his stronger and faster counterpart: "I'll make you a bet: one after the other, we run with the wheelbarrow to the end of the building and back. Whoever's quickest wins. But there has to be one thing in the wheelbarrow all the time, and I choose what it is. I bet you 50 gold" .
"You're on," replied Seluth.

Doberler then chose what to put in the wheelbarrow. They had the race, and Doberler won. Seluth handed over the 50 gold in disgust.

What did Doberler put in the wheelbarrow?  

[SeleneRosara]

*Takes Jc's face in her hands and makes him look at her* Way to much math involved in the last one, my head hurts! Please, riddles are fine but not ones that require Kai and Darz explaining math!  

[kishou]

Kai Karasurei

Latent Undoing

Kai, I do say...

Excellent job! Your first answer of 229 is correct.

*Hands over the Special Edition Jc Cookie*

And Darz.. 4x4x4 is 64..

YESSSSS! COOOKIE!
C is for cookie and thatsa good enough for me!
*holds cookie over his head*
Well, I've gotten better at math, but it still takes a while. But once I figured to compile as many possible equations as my little brain could handle it completes the relation between the clues. In every riddle, there is a key relation between all the clues...at least thats what I believe. It may not be right, but hey it works.
here is one I like.

Seluth and Doberler were two men working at a construction site. One day, Doberler made a challenge to his stronger and faster counterpart: "I'll make you a bet: one after the other, we run with the wheelbarrow to the end of the building and back. Whoever's quickest wins. But there has to be one thing in the wheelbarrow all the time, and I choose what it is. I bet you 50 gold" .
"You're on," replied Seluth.

Doberler then chose what to put in the wheelbarrow. They had the race, and Doberler won. Seluth handed over the 50 gold in disgust.

What did Doberler put in the wheelbarrow?

An antigravity device ninja