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Topic: A new apartment (Read 2451 times) |
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alien
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Mark has moved to a new apartment, so he is showing it to John. So here they are, in the living room, which is the only room that is still empty. John says: 'This is probably not the best time, but could you lend me $1000?' Mark replies: 'A word of advice, all right? QUIT GAMBLING! Look, you are my friend, and I like riddles, so I will give you a chance, in that if you answer correctly to the following riddle, I will lend you the money...
A new couch for the living room is going to arrive tomorrow, so I would like you to do me a favor, and be here when it gets here, because I have to visit my sick brother in the hospital. If you do this for me, and if you can tell me how could you make the couch to move after delivery men put it in the empty living room but without touching it, I will lend you the money. Also, at your disposal is everything that makes usual apartment, and you are not allowed to do anything that would impede their job in any way.'
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| « Last Edit: Dec 24th, 2005, 10:30am by alien » |
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Padzok
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #1 on: Dec 22nd, 2005, 7:06am » |
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Seal all the doors and windows, barring the hihest window.
Put hosepipe thru open window.
Turn on water.
Hey Presto, the couch will float.
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SMQ
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #2 on: Dec 22nd, 2005, 8:04am » |
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If the couch has a metal frame -- like some recliner-couch's or futon's do -- you could use really big magnets.
--SMQ
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--SMQ
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alien
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on Dec 22nd, 2005, 7:06am, Padzok wrote:Seal all the doors and windows, barring the hihest window.
Put hosepipe thru open window.
Turn on water.
Hey Presto, the couch will float.
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Not bad, but the incoming water would touch the couch, and that is not allowed. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough about that part of the riddle. 
on Dec 22nd, 2005, 8:04am, SMQ wrote:If the couch has a metal frame -- like some recliner-couch's or futon's do -- you could use really big magnets.
--SMQ |
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Good idea, but there is no metal on this couch, and the usage of special contraption or equipment is not allowed. 
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| « Last Edit: Dec 22nd, 2005, 1:48pm by alien » |
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Sjoerd Job Postmus
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Posts: 228
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #4 on: Dec 22nd, 2005, 1:54pm » |
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John has been really smart... Instead of gambling, he just saved it . It's that he really likes the riddles Mark thinks off. And, he stores it at the bank, to get some extra interest.
So, he asks a friend to move it... The friend is greedy, and asks 50 bucks. So John grands him that. Besides, he already had $50 interest by now ..
Of course, John wants to think of a better answer, but this John can't. Maybe one of the other Johns?
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Grimbal
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #5 on: Dec 22nd, 2005, 3:25pm » |
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You could tell it a really moving story.
Or you could ask the delivery people to glue it to the ceiling with not so good a glue. After a while it will fall down.
Or you can start to dig a hole under half of the house.
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alien
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No to both.
John alone should try to accomplish this, not someone else.
on Dec 22nd, 2005, 3:25pm, Grimbal wrote:| Or you can start to dig a hole under half of the house. |
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This works in cartoons, but not with concrete, even if you have a chainsaw. Besides, I don't think that Mark's neighbor bellow would appreciate something like that.
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| « Last Edit: Dec 23rd, 2005, 4:26am by alien » |
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ChunkTug
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #7 on: Dec 23rd, 2005, 11:52am » |
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He tells the movers to set it down on a rug and pulls it around by the rug.
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alien
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The living room is empty except, of course, for the couch, so no rug either.
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| « Last Edit: Dec 23rd, 2005, 12:02pm by alien » |
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Icarus
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #9 on: Dec 23rd, 2005, 12:16pm » |
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"Ahh...", says John. "You didn't say what I have to move the couch with respect to. So I shall move it with respect to myself. And this is easy, for all I have to do is walk somewhere."
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"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
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alien
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Clever approach, but not the answer I had in mind.
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JohanC
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #11 on: Dec 24th, 2005, 9:21am » |
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Well, John looked for some soap (or some melting ice or maybe some oil) and made sure the floor was as slippery as possible.
After the couch was carefully placed on top, and the movers left in disgust, he started jumping around until the couch moved from its place ...
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JohanC
Senior Riddler
Posts: 460
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #12 on: Dec 24th, 2005, 9:47am » |
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As tonight will be Christmas Eve, John also got another idea (while sipping from Marc's brandy - how else to kill the time while waiting for those movers to arrive).
He noticed Marc bought some nice large candles to enlight these dark evenings.
Why not take four of them, cut them through their length so they have two flat sides while lying on the floor? Then, let these movers put the couch onto these four candles.
When Marc finally arrives, John joyfully enlights the candles and hopefully waits for the burning candles and the cough's weight to do their work.
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alien
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Your answer in plausible, but John is not allowed to impede their job, as stated in the riddle.
I have modified the riddle a bit.
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| « Last Edit: Dec 24th, 2005, 10:34am by alien » |
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JohanC
Senior Riddler
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #14 on: Dec 24th, 2005, 10:53am » |
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These self-modifying riddles keep on going, but John is unstoppable ...
After removing the candles and the soap, the movers can put the couch on a carefully cleaned floor.
John turns the stereo installation as high as possible (putting the candles in his ears in order not to get deaf). As he put the boxes very close to the couch, the vibrations have to get it moving ... 
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alien
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I don't think that this equipment makes usual apartment.
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Icarus
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #16 on: Dec 24th, 2005, 1:27pm » |
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on Dec 24th, 2005, 11:48am, alien wrote:| I don't think that this equipment makes usual apartment. |
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If I didn't already know you weren't American, that statement would have proved it!
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"Pi goes on and on and on ...
And e is just as cursed.
I wonder: Which is larger
When their digits are reversed? " - Anonymous
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alien
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Americans have loudspeakers that can make the couch to move?
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| « Last Edit: Dec 25th, 2005, 7:15am by alien » |
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Grimbal
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #18 on: Dec 26th, 2005, 3:54pm » |
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Is it another use for a big block of ice?
PS: or as an alternative, because of the "usual appartment equipment" thing, a use for small ice cubes.
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| « Last Edit: Dec 26th, 2005, 3:57pm by Grimbal » |
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alien
Guest
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The living room is empty when they put the couch down, so no ice either. 
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JohanC
Senior Riddler
Posts: 460
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #20 on: Dec 28th, 2005, 3:30am » |
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Would it be acceptable to create some kind of lever using items from the appartment (broom stick, chair, ...)?
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alien
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No, because you are not allowed to touch the couch, and this also excludes broomstick.
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Grimbal
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #22 on: Dec 28th, 2005, 2:25pm » |
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Drop a colony of termites on the wooden floor. The neighbour below will not be happy, that is sure, but John will get his $1000 (and be eternally indebted to Mark).
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alien
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Grimbal, you just might be on the right track, having in mind one aspect of your suggestion.
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JohanC
Senior Riddler
Posts: 460
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Re: A new apartment
« Reply #24 on: Dec 29th, 2005, 12:45pm » |
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If it is a wooden floor, maybe just jumping around in the room will suffice to get the vibrations to move the couch a little bit?
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