In article <Pine.GSO.4.21.0007041015040.5942-100000@sparky.ic.sunysb.edu>, Patrick <paro@ic.sunysb.edu> wrote: >I copied this puzzle off another newsgroup post and thought with it some >of your long runs might be made to feel shorter. > >Hoping to avoid those mischievous twits who throw firecrackers at me >during my 4th of July evening run. > >Patrick > > >> Here is a problem by J.A.H. Hunter. > > "We won the relay race this year," declared Tommy. "But not by much." > Uncle Fred nodded. "That was really something. What was the distance?" > "Well, we had four of us in the team," replied the boy. "I ran a fifth >of the distance, plus a fifth of a mile. Jim ran a quarter of the >distance, plus a quarter of a mile. Ted ran a third of the distance, >plus a third of a mile. Paul ran half the distance, plus half a mile." > What was the distance? > > Give the solution if there is one and the means get the solution or >show there is no solution. < If distance is interpreted as "remaining distance" then the total distance was 4 miles with each runner covering 1 mile. -- ************************************************************************ Terry R. McConnell Mathematics/304B Carnegie/Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-1150 trmcconn@syr.edu http://barnyard.syr.edu/~tmc Question Authority? ************************************************************************