Taxman Contest Time

Taxman · #1 06-25-2007, 02:11 AM

In the spirit of my "Stump Taxman" thread, I'm offering up another contest. The first correct response will win his/her choice of any item from the RR gift store. Ready? Ok, here's the puzzle:

***

A while ago I discovered an elite mathematic club called the Differential Liars. Each member of the club is assigned a Truth Differential (TD) when they are first admitted. The TD's are always positive integers. Every member of the club always speaks the absolute truth whenever making mathematical statements, except that any numbers appearing in a member's statements are larger than their true values by the amount of the member's TD.

I applied for membership and found that I had to pass a test. Three members (who I will simply call A, B, C) each made two statements concerning a positive integer (base 10). I was to use these statements to discover its value.

A1: The least prime factor of the number is 43.
A2: The greatest prime factor of the number is 67.

B1: The number has 19 prime factors (not necessarily different).
B2: The sum of all of the number's prime factors is 437.

C1: The number has 35 digits.
C2: The total of our three TD's is 62.

I had a few days to digest these statements but it was obvious that I needed more information. So I telephoned the club and asked for more clues. Two of the three test givers (A, B, C) spoke to me on the phone but I did not know which of the three I was speaking to. I will call them X and Y. Each made one statement:

X: The sum of the digits of the number is 79.

Y: The sum of the numbers 143, 224, 391 is a prime.

Eventually I was able to determine the number and I was admitted to the club.

Can you determine the number?

RandomNY · #2 06-25-2007, 09:06 AM

Can you determine the number?- Quote

The answer is "no".

politicalboy · #3 06-25-2007, 10:51 AM

Hows bout goin back to movies for us Enlisted Men. No Annapolis here, I worked for a livin.

Taxman · #4 07-01-2007, 07:21 PM

Last chance... Offer expires at midnight MST...

Taxman · #5 07-03-2007, 04:18 PM

OK let's try an easier one then to get warmed up:

***

On a train, Smith, Robinson and Jones are the fireman, brakeman, and engineer, but NOT respectively. Also aboard the train are three businessmen who have the same names: a Mr. Smith, a Mr. Robinson, and a Mr. Jones.

Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.
The brakeman lives exactly half way between Chicago and Detroit.
Mr. Jones earns exactly $20,000 per year.
The brakeman's nearest neighbor, one of the passengers, earns exactly three times as much as the brakeman.
Smith beats the fireman at billiards.
The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman's lives in Chicago.

Who is the engineer?

RandomNY · #6 07-03-2007, 07:58 PM

I refer to my favorite movie, "Johnny Dangerously"...

"THAT'S A FARGIN TRICK QUESTION!!!!!!""

SteveCA · #7 07-05-2007, 02:55 AM

Sorry, Taxman...I've been poking away at that first one in between bug fixing, but I don't have it yet.

The second one I've seen before and will recuse myself.

politicalboy · #8 07-05-2007, 09:04 AM

The engineer is the dude with the hat on.

Taxman · #9 07-05-2007, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveCA

Sorry, Taxman...I've been poking away at that first one in between bug fixing, but I don't have it yet.

The second one I've seen before and will recuse myself.

Yeah, it's an oldie but a goodie...

Taxman · #10 03-11-2008, 06:40 PM

Let's dig this back up and try it again:

You've been sentenced to death in an obscure foreign country which has a strange law. Before the sentence is carried out, two papers -- one with "LIFE" written on it and one with "DEATH" written on it -- are folded up and placed in a hat. You are permitted to pick out one of the papers (without looking), and if you choose the one with "LIFE" written on it, you are set free. Otherwise, the death sentence is carried out. On this occasion, a mean-spirited acquaintenance of yours, bent on your demise, has substituted the paper with "LIFE" written on it with another one with "DEATH" written on it. This person gleefully informs you of what he has done and that you are doomed to die. You are not permitted to speak to anyone about this misdeed, nor will you have a chance to switch the papers or the hat yourself in time. How will you avoid certain death?