299!:confused: Donot call me lulu if this turns out wrong :rolleyes:
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299!:confused: Donot call me lulu if this turns out wrong :rolleyes:
I'm not sure if the 300 counts the captain, so I'll answer like this:Quote:
Originally posted by Elrond
There are 300 firefighters in the company, all men, all being maried and having brought their wives.
...
How many hands has the captain shaken?
if the captain is one of those 300, he has shaken 299*2=598 hands.
if the captain isn't one of those 300, he has shaken 300*2=600 hands.
solarflare answer is correct to the question... In fact every fireman has shaken 598 hands. but if you count as a handshake only this what you do when you arrive then you must know when did the captain appear?Quote:
Originally posted by Elrond
In a big room, a company of firefighters have a big party.
There are 300 firefighters in the company, all men, all being maried and having brought their wives.
Each time someone enters, he counts how many handshakes he will have to give (everyone except his wife/husband if that one is already here).
When everyone has arrived, the captain asked each person how many hands he had to shake when he arrived. All answers are different (not twice the same value).
How many hands has the captain shaken?
if he was first (something normal for a captain) - 0
if he was last - 598
if he was N-th (2*(N-1))
:eek:YOU GUYS SO INTELLIGENT !!!!!!!!!!:D
Actually,
yes, the question is how many has he shaken when he arrived,
he is included in the 300,
there is ONE precise value that can be found,
No "if he was N-th (2*(N-1))" is not the answer.
And one additional information, I said he asked every person in the room, this includes the firefighters and the wives (-> 599 answers, all different).
well when the wives arrive do they shake hand with everyone as well?
The only thing I can think of is that if he had to ask each and every of the others that must mean that he came as the last one o relse he would have known how many hands some others have shaken. So he shook 598 hands.Quote:
Originally posted by Elrond
And one additional information, I said he asked every person in the room, this includes the firefighters and the wives (-> 599 answers, all different).
The wives shake hands as well,
and as each one keeps his own count, the captain does not know before asking what is the value for everyone, even if he didn't arrive last. -> He didn't arrive last.
there is a proper value that can be demonstrated!
He didn't arrive first nor last. Hereby I conclude the captain did not arrive at all and shook 0 hands, after all, isn't a captain supposed to be on a ship (Prestige,Tricolor) instead of a firebrigade party? :D :pQuote:
Originally posted by Elrond
The wives shake hands as well,
and as each one keeps his own count, the captain does not know before asking what is the value for everyone, even if he didn't arrive last. -> He didn't arrive last.
there is a proper value that can be demonstrated!
As being the captain of a firefighter brigade, I don't know if he knows how to swim and therefore if his place is on a boat. :confused:Quote:
Originally posted by Simon666
He didn't arrive first nor last. Hereby I conclude the captain did not arrive at all and shook 0 hands, after all, isn't a captain supposed to be on a ship (Prestige,Tricolor) instead of a firebrigade party? :D :p
And as he is here to ask people how many hands they have shaken, he has shown up. :cool:
Try again :D
So you're sayingthe firefighters are celebrating upon the boat? Then it also would make sense the captain showed up. :DQuote:
Originally posted by Elrond
As being the captain of a firefighter brigade, I don't know if he knows how to swim and therefore if his place is on a boat.
Just a note:
I think an answer REQUIRES an explanation to be accepted. Otherwise, it's easy to give an answer without knowing why.
I didn't gave any for the cigarette box, but I could have just picked up a number.
In the case of the cigarettes, there was very little chances to get the correct answer just by guessing, but in the case of my riddle, the number has a much better to be discovered just by guessing (something like 0, 598, ...).
If an explanation is not required, I have just seen that Wfranc gave the correct answer (299). If you want me to give an explanation about how I got the answer for the cigarettes, I can give it as well.
I let you decide if you accept Wfranc's answer (as nothing was said about giving an explanation before).
First of all, none of the pairs (husband - wife) can enter the room one after the other, or else they would have to shake the same number of hands. Except the captain and his wife, because he is allowed to shake the same number of hands as someone else. The only pattern that leads to the correct condition (different answers) is that all men enter first and all wives after that or vice-versa. However, the two persons in the middle will shake the same number of hands, that is 299 -- one of them must be the captain.Quote:
Originally posted by Elrond
The wives shake hands as well,
and as each one keeps his own count, the captain does not know before asking what is the value for everyone, even if he didn't arrive last. -> He didn't arrive last.
there is a proper value that can be demonstrated!
Read better. I said I don't know if his place is on a boat! And the fact that the big room is or is not on a boat will probably not help you solve the problem.Quote:
Originally posted by Simon666
So you're sayingthe firefighters are celebrating upon the boat? Then it also would make sense the captain showed up. :D
Anyway, the captain didn't told me where the party was ;)