Sixty-First Journal Entry

[puzzledprof]

To keep my communicator from shocking me, I have a puzzle for everyone.

12 people are traveling in two cars that can each hold six people -- five passengers and the driver. However, one hour away from their destination, one of the cars breaks down. Using the car that is left, how long will it take to get all 12 people to the destination?

Comments

[Video]

[satellitemecha]

Uhm, six hours?
One hour to get there with six people, one hour for one person to drive back, another hour for another six, an hour for another trip back, and one more hour for the remaining two people. Is that right?

[Video]

[satellitemecha]

(I meant to put five hours, ignore me and my fail.)

<3

[puzzledprof]

That's right. Good job!

<333

[satellitemecha]

Thank you.

[Video!]

[luke_triton]

Five hours!

First you have to take the unbroken car to the destination with the original six people in it, and drop five of those people off. Then you drive back to where the other car broke down--that takes two hours.

Then you have to drive five more people to the destination and drop them off, and then drive back--another two hours.

You have to go back to get the last person! Then driving from where the car broke down to your destination takes another hour!

[puzzledprof]

That's right, my boy. You've been practicing?

[luke_triton]

Of course, Professor! It's important for a gentleman to keep up with his studies.

There isn't much else to do, anyway..

[video]

[paterelohim]

Man, it's no fun when you can see other people solve it first.

text

[forabuffoon]

Far too many.

Math was never a strength of mine. Or reading. Or writing... or anything for that matter.

[puzzledprof]

Why don't you give it a try? It's good to exercise your brain from time to time, after all. It's actually quite easy if you work through it step-by-step.

[forabuffoon]

True, but the first step is the hardest.

They could always try to fixing the broken car, an d that would change the answer entirely.

[puzzledprof]

You think so?

Ah, but that's not the point of this puzzle. Some puzzles have answers that require you to use real-world knowledge not mentioned in them, but this one isn't one of them.

[battledancing]

Five hours!

[puzzledprof]

Correct! I believe you've gotten every one of my puzzles you've tried, Miss Cynthia.

[battledancing]

Ah, I've only tried a couple of them. Though they're definitely very entertaining!

[puzzledprof]

Of course; they wouldn't be puzzles if they weren't, only problems.