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Topic: 10 horses, 9 boxes (Read 3783 times) |
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aimee fitzy
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Does anyone know the answer to this riddle?
There are ten horses and nine boxes. How do u get ten horses into the 9 boxes?
All horses are male
All are the same size
They can't be killed
The boxes can not be changed ( ie. shape size)
All boxes are same size.
All horses must be in the boxes at the same time.
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wowbagger
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #1 on: Apr 9th, 2003, 9:25am » |
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Well, the problem statement doesn't say anything about the size of each box, just that all are the same size.
So why not just put two horses in one box?
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"You're a jerk, <your surname>!"
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cho
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Actually, you could enclose 13 horses with nine boxes, all the same size, with every horse penned by itself.
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towr
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #3 on: Apr 9th, 2003, 10:41am » |
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liquify the horses, and pour them in the boxes :p
So perhaps they cannot be killed, even though I don't know how to do it, that doesn't mean they cannot be liquified..
For some riddles sulphuric acid is a great solution..
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cho
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You're sick, man, just plain sick. I mean, if it was cows, I'd say, go ahead, make ground beef and box it up. But liquifying horses? Don't you realize what juicy steaks you're ruining that way?
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towr
wu::riddles Moderator
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #5 on: Apr 9th, 2003, 12:07pm » |
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Well, some people like protein shakes you know..
Not me though..
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BNC
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #6 on: Apr 9th, 2003, 11:44pm » |
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Think outside the box(es)..
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How about supercalifragilisticexpialidociouspuzzler [Towr, 2007]
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Jeremiah Smith
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #7 on: Apr 9th, 2003, 11:52pm » |
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[ T ][ E ][ N ][ H ][ O ][ R ][ S ][ E ][ S ]
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Pietro K.C.
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #8 on: Apr 12th, 2003, 8:41am » |
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I have a way of putting ten men in nine rooms, but I'll try to adapt it to this situation:
"Ten weary, hoofsore horses,
All in a woeful plight,
Sought shelter at a wayside barn
One dark and stormy night.
'Nine boxes, no more,' the landlord said,
'Have I to offer you.
To each of eight a single box,
But the ninth must serve for two.'
A din arose. The troubled host
Could only scratch his head,
For of those tired horses no two
Would occupy one shed.
The puzzled host was soon at ease -
He was a clever man -
And so to please his guests devised
This most ingenious plan.
In a box marked A two horses were placed,
The third was lodged in B,
The fourth to C was then assigned,
The fifth retired to D.
In E the sixth he tucked away,
In F the seventh one,
The eighth and ninth in G and H,
And then to A returned,
Wherein the host, as I have said,
Had left two horses by;
Then taking one - the tenth and last -
He lodged him safe in I.
Nine single boxes - a box for each -
Were made to serve for ten;
And that it is that puzzles me
And many wiser men."
Note: The original is "Ten weary, footsore travelers", and differs only in a few words (I mostly exchanged "men" for "horses", "rooms" for "boxes" and the like) from the above. I read it in a book called "Imaginary Numbers", which is a collection of mathematical poems, stories, puzzles and whatnot, edited by one William Frucht, who has very good taste. If you don't read this book, at least take a look at "The Library of Babel", a mind-blowing THING by argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges.
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BNC
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #9 on: Apr 12th, 2003, 8:57am » |
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That's the "DESPERADOS IN JAIL" from the easy section.
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How about supercalifragilisticexpialidociouspuzzler [Towr, 2007]
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aero_guy
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Re: 10 horses, 9 boxes
« Reply #10 on: Apr 12th, 2003, 2:04pm » |
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But written much better.
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