A little maths problem for you

**Jet_Master** · 05-18-2002

wow!! i am just in grade 10. i dont get that, especially with that
"pathetic graphical representation" i have no idea.

anyway, that was an easy one.
this one is tricky:

on a very windy day, a snail is trying to climb a small hill.
this is the small hill:

/ \
/ \
a / \ b side a = 20 meters
/ \ side b = 20 meters
__/______c______\____ side c doesn't matter

the snail climbs 5m and then for sure a gust of wind comes and sweeps it 3m down. if it is 12:00 PM right now, what time will it be (to the closest hour) when the snail gets to the top or over it?

answer coming up after a few guesses.

**Jet_Master** · 05-18-2002

d'oh!!!
my graphic design of the hilll did not work.
ok, here is another try (in words)

the side that the snail is climbing is 20 meters long (slope and all the other stuff included, so no calculations required)
the opposite side is also same length
the base length of the hill does not matter;

all you really need to know is that the snail needs to walk 20 meters to get to the top and with the wind... you know the question...

**Jet_Master** · 05-18-2002

in graphic words:

a/\b

a is the distancesnail has to go (one side of the hill) and that is 20 meters

**Nick** · 05-18-2002

People started with variables for the time increasing, and almost everyone said the answer was 11110 minutes.

Isn't that a bit too large considering at t=60 min the egg basket is full.
Consider this, let N = number of eggs in the basket, t = the time in minutes.
Then we have
N = 2^t and since at t=60 the basket is full
N_full = 2^60 we want to find t when N = N_full/2 so we have
2^59 = 2^t. And so t = 59 minutes. Ok you probably could figure it out mentally now.

**Nutshell** · 05-18-2002

Maybe use code tags

Code:

     /\
    /  \
   /    \
  /      \
 /        \

**Commander** · 05-18-2002

assuming that the snail climbs 5m per hour (since it was not mentioned--i didn't c it)
I would say it's 10 pm

**Hammer** · 05-19-2002

Originally posted by Nick

Isn't that a bit too large considering at t=60 min the egg basket is full.
Consider this, let N = number of eggs in the basket, t = the time in minutes.
Then we have
N = 2^t and since at t=60 the basket is full
N_full = 2^60 we want to find t when N = N_full/2 so we have
2^59 = 2^t. And so t = 59 minutes. Ok you probably could figure it out mentally now.

Nick, dont' you recognise a bunch of ones and zeros?

**vasanth** · 05-19-2002

Why so much of complications.. It takes 59 minutes.. Sine half + half is full... Half has to double and that takes one minute to double to become full... So 60 - 1 is 59.

**Jet_Master** · 05-19-2002

that was not even a hard problem... someone else try a guess at my second question... one guess is not enough.i will reveal the ans after 1-2 more guesses.

**Commander** · 05-19-2002

1259 hrs

**Commander** · 05-19-2002

0.000000000001115465465246565432165498465 mins

**Commander** · 05-19-2002

look...2 more guesses...noe give me the damn answer!!!!!!

**Nick** · 05-19-2002

Nick, dont' you recognise a bunch of ones and zeros?

Now I do

**Jet_Master** · 05-19-2002

yea ok, have it your way. te answer is soming up in my next post.

(I am practising methods to keep a moron in suspense. and it is working so far)

**Jet_Master** · 05-19-2002

allright here is the answer:

on a very windy day, a snail is trying to climb a small hill.
the side length of the hill is 20 meters long. the snail climbs 5m and then for sure a gust of wind comes and sweeps it 3m down. if it is 12:00 PM right now, what time will it be (to the closest hour) when the snail gets to the top or over it?

the answer is 9 hours.
at the end of:
1st hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 2.
2nd hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 2+2=4.
3rd hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 4+2=6.
4th hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 6+2=8.
5th hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 8+2=10.
6th hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 10+2=12.
7th hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 12+2=14.
8th hour: climbs 5, drops 3. therefore climbed 14+2=16.
9th hour: climbs 5. therefore total climbed 16+5=21. Now the snail is over the top and therefore will not be swept back 3m.

see, that was not so easy.