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Topic: Letter sequence (Read 1092 times) |
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Speaker
Uberpuzzler
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Letter sequence
« on: Jan 19th, 2003, 6:53pm » |
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This is a letter sequence puzzle that sometimes occurs on entrance examinations for some private and exclusive Kindergartens in Japan.
What letters should go in the blanks?
S _ T _ T _ S
Needless to say, many of the kids get it, and many adults do not.
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BNC
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #1 on: Jan 19th, 2003, 11:41pm » |
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Do you have to speak Japanese to answer?
I mean, I can think of an answer, but that would require knowledge of the English names for week days, which I assume not all kindergarten kids know, unless English is their native language
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| « Last Edit: Jan 19th, 2003, 11:43pm by BNC » |
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How about supercalifragilisticexpialidociouspuzzler [Towr, 2007]
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Speaker
Uberpuzzler
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #2 on: Jan 20th, 2003, 12:03am » |
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Japanese is not necessary.
If the sequence is common enough in everyday life then a child will recognize it whether they understand it completely or not.
However, the reasoning of the people creating the test, may depend on a child's basic grasp of a second language. And, this is one of the first things tought in ESL courses, especially for kids.
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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. <Ben Franklin>
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Jeremiah Smith
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #4 on: Jan 20th, 2003, 4:04pm » |
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Is it S M T W T F S, i.e., the days of the week?
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Icarus
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #5 on: Jan 20th, 2003, 5:28pm » |
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ARRGHH! I'm 40 years old and still not smart enough to be a kindergartner in Japan! I'm 0 for 2 on these questions. Can there be any further embarassment? 
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When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
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wowbagger
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #6 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 4:15am » |
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on Jan 20th, 2003, 5:28pm, Icarus wrote:| I'm 0 for 2 on these questions. Can there be any further embarassment? |
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Maybe Speaker will post another one? 
I know, you'd still have a score of 0%
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Speaker
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #7 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 7:18pm » |
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Here is another one.
In the original this is written in Japanese script, so it is prettier. But, the meaning is preserved in translation to English.
Here it is.
Big, Small, Big, Small, Big, Small, Big, ?, Small, Big, Small, Big
What goes in the ?, Big or Small?
Here is the original Japanese if you have the fonts.
大小大小大小大？小大小大
Well, kind of prettier.
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SWF
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #8 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:24pm » |
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What letters fit if there are two blanks between each given letter:
S _ _ T _ _ T _ _ S
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Speaker
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #9 on: Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:30pm » |
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Potassium nitrate
in plural
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wowbagger
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #10 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 2:03am » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 7:18pm, Speaker wrote:Big, Small, Big, Small, Big, Small, Big, ?, Small, Big, Small, Big
What goes in the ?, Big or Small? |
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I'd say it should be
Big
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wowbagger
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #11 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 2:07am » |
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:24pm, SWF wrote:What letters fit if there are two blanks between each given letter:
S _ _ T _ _ T _ _ S
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on Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:30pm, Speaker wrote:Potassium nitrate
in plural |
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Sorry, but don't see how you can fit KNO3 "in plural" in there...
Is there a special meaning to your "in plural"?
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Speaker
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #12 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 2:15am » |
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Saltpeters, which is the colloquial term for potasium nitrate.
You might also use statistics
About the big small problem, I would say you are right. And, I assume you understand why.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 23rd, 2003, 2:16am by Speaker » |
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wowbagger
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #13 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 3:57am » |
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on Jan 23rd, 2003, 2:15am, Speaker wrote:| Saltpeters, which is the colloquial term for potasium nitrate. |
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Hmpf! 
Maybe I should have thought a little longer about that one... (btw: saltpetres fits equally well)
On a more fundamental point:
I wouldn't consider this a "letter sequence" (in analogy with a "number sequence"), whereas the original riddle at the beginning of this thread is one (I suppose).
Hints at my solution to the big/small problem:
Consider the number of items.
The idea is related to the one of the original riddle of this thread.
You can count it on the knuckles of two hands!
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BNC
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #14 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 4:01am » |
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A big hint for Big/Small:
The beginning of the sequence may also be:
Big, Smallest, Big, Small, ...
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How about supercalifragilisticexpialidociouspuzzler [Towr, 2007]
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Speaker
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #15 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 3:32pm » |
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Wowbagger
I also learned about the knuckles mnenomic. And, the hint you give, about the number of items, was also given in the original entrance exam.
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lukes new shoes
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #16 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 4:53pm » |
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for S _ _ T _ _ T _ _ S
i was thinking maybe S E N T E T T F F S
as in the first letters of seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven etc.
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SWF
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #17 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 5:43pm » |
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Very good Luke's New Shoes, that is the answer I was looking for.
Although "statistics" does fill the blanks, I wasn't intending this to be a game of hangman.
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| « Last Edit: Jan 25th, 2003, 8:34pm by SWF » |
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Chronos
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Re: Letter sequence
« Reply #18 on: Jan 23rd, 2003, 7:37pm » |
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Now, see, in the original puzzle, if you had made the second T an R instead, I would have gotten it. 
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