ok might not be fun for everyone....

[pixie]

not sure if this is fun, but i liked it

Seven congruent rectangles form a larger rectangle. If the area of the larger rectangle is 756 units ^2, what is its perimeter?

----------------
|....|....|....|....|
|....|....|....|....|
----------------
|......|......|......|
----------------

Ignore the '.'s i had to use for space holders, if you dont, you cant enter space between |'s

[umi]

not sure i understand the question, but 3024 units?

[RNBL Charis]

Yep...3024 for me too...

if the area is 756^2, it can probably be derived that the length and width are each 756 (LxW=A)... which I believe would make it a square, not a rectangle, but it's been a while since I took geometry...

756 * 4 sides = 3024

</math geek>

[Tam]

Actually, a square is a rectangle. It just happens to have all 4 sides the same length.

[pixie]

.warning, this is the answer, if you dont want to know yet, or are working on it, dont peek
Ok all rectangles are congruent, so they default are same size, as their base and height are the same, with right angles and all that, so area of each is 756/7= 108.

(note the ^2 is because square units, it is geometry after all, thats why is units ^2 no 756^2 units... symantics!)

so area of each small is 108, you can deduce, from the pic that 4 short sides = 3 long sides.

Thus, the small rectangle's long side multiplied by 3 must be the same as the small rectangle's short side multiplied by 4.

so... bunch of boring stuff later...

(namely 3x(4x) = 108 --- 12x = 108 --- x=9)

12x9=108
3x12 = 36
4x9 = 36
(making sure ratio works, always check work!)

so...

small rectangles are 12 x 9

plug 12x9 in to the diagram and sides are 21 and 36
p= 2(21)+2(36)
P = 114

make sense?

[umi]

oh nevermind, i get it now. would be easy to understand if it were written down on paper.

[Silverking]

I still haven't gotten it. I can't even figure out the question. This may explain why I failed Algebra I twice in college. Yes, that's right, twice.

[Arizhel]

Heh, don't feel bad, Calculus kicked me in the rump three times.

[Griffon]

This is just one of those things where I tend to code my brain as follows...

<sleep>
<text>ZZZZZZZZZZ
</sleep>

end

Or something like that... you non-coder geeks should still figure it out :-P

Nic

[Dank]

CLASSIC LATERAL THINKING EXERCISES


1. There is a man who lives on the top floor of a very tall
building. Everyday he gets the elevator down to the ground floor
to leave the building to go to work. Upon returning from work
though, he can only travel half way up in the lift and has to walk
the rest of the way unless it's raining! Why?

This is probably the best known and most celebrated of all lateral
thinking puzzles. It is a true classic. Although there are many
possible solutions which fit the initial conditions, only the
canonical answer is truly satisfying.

2. A man and his son are in a car accident. The father dies on the
scene, but the child is rushed to the hospital. When he arrives the
surgeon says, "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can
this be?

3. A man is wearing black. Black shoes, socks, trousers, jumper,
gloves and balaclava. He is walking down a black street with all
the street lamps off. A black car is coming towards him with its
light off but somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver
see the man?

4. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older
twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How?

5. Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?
This is logical rather than lateral, but it is a good puzzle that
can be solved by lateral thinking techniques. It is supposedly used
by a very well-known software company as an interview question for
prospective employees.

6. A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left
early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently
died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?

7. A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other
people there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at
the age of 21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he
recognized. He saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were
Adam and Eve. How did he know?

8. A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same
day of the same year. But they were not twins. How could this be
so?

9. A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water.
The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says
'Thank you' and walks out.

This last puzzle claims to be the best of the genre. It is simple in its
statement, absolutely baffling and yet with a completely satisfying
solution.

Most people struggle very hard to solve this one yet they like the
answer when they hear it or have the satisfaction of figuring it
out.

[farbekrieg]

My answers to danks questions dont want to get a possible right answer, dont read











1. Hes a midget (little person?) bite sized snack im not sure which is PC these days

2. damn chicks always wanting to cut people (except their kids, go figure?)

3. Its happens during the day

4. because of all the international dating that goes on during extended boat rides

5. to thwart my abililty to drop manhole covers on people in the sewer

6. I put the poison in the ice c.... err the poison was in the ice cubes

7. He was knitting navel lint into a sweater while waiting

8. Not the same month

9. Hiccups


Man its been awhile since ive heard most of these I never claimed to have solved them for myself

[pixie]

answers to danks questions, i think... took me a while on the twins 2 days apart, think it is right, might not be, anyhow... dont look if you dont want to see my attempt!









. There is a man who lives on the top floor of a very tall
building. Everyday he gets the elevator down to the ground floor
to leave the building to go to work. Upon returning from work
though, he can only travel half way up in the lift and has to walk
the rest of the way unless it's raining! Why?

too short to reach the top button, unless it is raining, in which case, he uses umbrella to push button. though why he wouldnt bring a cane all the time to do this...

2. A man and his son are in a car accident. The father dies on the
scene, but the child is rushed to the hospital. When he arrives the
surgeon says, "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can
this be?

dr. mom

3. A man is wearing black. Black shoes, socks, trousers, jumper,
gloves and balaclava. He is walking down a black street with all
the street lamps off. A black car is coming towards him with its
light off but somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver
see the man?

its daylight!

4. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older
twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How?

1 twin born <11:59 pm feb 28
other born 12:01am > march 1st
day happens to be on a leapyear

5. Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?
This is logical rather than lateral, but it is a good puzzle that
can be solved by lateral thinking techniques.

round manholes can fall down round holes, as dia is always same no matter what angle dropped, square manholes, dropped on diagonal, kinda fit down the hole

6. A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left
early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently
died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?

either ice containing poison hadnt melted, of man who left poisoned before he left.

7. A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other
people there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at
the age of 21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he
recognized. He saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were
Adam and Eve. How did he know?

no belly buttons.

8. A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same
day of the same year. But they were not twins. How could this be
so?

triplets+

9. A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water.
The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says
'Thank you' and walks out.

man had hiccups, got scared/cured and was grateful

[pixie]

my favorite of this type of puzzle is this:

The music stopped. She died.

explain?

g'luck