Math Distractions -- Change for a US Dollar Problem

Djnx wrote:
Huh? Just kidding. Nice side comment that not too many people got, mi amigo.

Also good to see the Dutch Wizard poking into this thread. I feel humbled. In the meantime, this is just a blah blah blah post so that my next one will be at the top of page 2.

Procrastinatin'Man

p.s. DOH! Clearly I'm a mathematician that can't count ...

Okay, whilst I whistle up another one involving infinite series, here's another problem to pound your other head against.

So you're standing at the North Pole.

You walk/ski/skate/swim ONE KILOMETER SOUTH.
Then ONE KILOMETER WEST.
Then ONE KILOMETER NORTH.

You are now standing back at the North Pole, where you started.

Problem:
Where else on Planet Earth can you do this? That is, starting at Point A, you move ONE KM SOUTH, then ONE KM WEST, then ONE KM NORTH ... and you end up at Point A, where you started.

Yes, it is possible. But starting from where?

RM

anywhere else on the planet.

Djnx wrote:
Uhhh, no. Besides the North Pole, it only works in a very certain part of the planet.

The good (or boring) news is that there are actually an infinite number of places that work there. Oooooh.

Any takers? Dayanna says that it might help to sort of look at things upside down...



RM

I calc it's the south pole, since it's identical to the north pole but in the south.

I could be - and likely am - wrong, but what the hell.

gwanath wrote:When on the south pole you can't walk to the south, can you?

The only way to go further to the south is to fly straight up...?

And RM, bout your problem: no idea. Yet. But my guess is it has something to do with girls. (for it's complicated, doesn't make sense and doesn't get you anywhere)
Or with bureaucrats.



Just hoping your other (personal) problems are easier to comprehend.

ramblin'man wrote:

The thing that has always got me about this problem is the arbitrary grouping of the doors. Surely you can just as easily say:

You pick door #1.

Probability she is behind door #1 or door #2 = 2/3
Probability she is behind door #3 = 1/3

GS shows you she's not behind door #2 ...

Probability she is behind door #3 = still 1/3
Probability she is behind door #1 = 2/3

So you'd better stick!



And for my next trick I shall upload a file to rapidshare at the first attempt!

baralis wrote:
First attempt? Hah. Takes at least 3, and during the 2nd one you'll get to at least 90%.

Good point about the grouping. BUT ... the way the original problem is designed is that you've already chosen one of the doors (#1) so that the grouping is already set ... #1 vs the others. The grouping thing comes into play before you choose door #1.

Then again, hey, all of life is completely arbitrary now isn't it. And the dang universe will make sure that I didn't get the door with Foxy behind it.

I'm not paranoid ... everyone actually IS out to get me.

Sociopathin'Man

R0m30 wrote:
Ahhh, dear sir, you are correct -- while at the south pole, it is impossible to move south. In fact, any direction is north. Sorry Gwanath.

Girls? Bureaucrats? Or, even worse, bureaucratic girls? There you're moving into problems that only Markino1 can solve, mere worthless mortals like moi have no idea. Especially girls.

However, the answer to the problem does involve being pretty damn close to the south pole. Any takers?

You start at point A.
You walk/ski/slide ONE KM SOUTH.
You then move ONE KM WEST (or East, it doesn't matter, oooh).
You then move ONE KM NORTH.
And you end up back at Point A.

Where do you start?

RM

p.s. fun with INFINITE SERIES is coming up next! What, didja think this would be some easy Algebra in here?

ramblin'man wrote:

OK I think I have this now:

Starting point A is approximately 1.16Km from the South Pole. Walk 1 km south, then 1 km west, that takes you in a 1 Km circle around the South Pole, then walk 1 Km north back to starting point A.

I won't bore you with the formula. I used to be good at math before I went blind from all this porn.

your point a is a circle arround the southpole.
there are much more points(cycles) next is closer when the 1km west makes 2 rounds, next 3 rounds .... up to ~1,0001 km north from southpole when you make 1cm circles arround the southpole.


BTW i would take door3 in firstquestion.
foxy is behind door1, .... but behind door 3 are all the teenfuns girls;-) and they don`t care about math

buddlikesthecuteones wrote:
gnoga wrote:

Affirmative. Budd got the idea and a specific example, and Gnoga (may I call you Gnoga?) generalized it to illustrate the infinite number of solutions to the problem. Oh, and Budd -- how many digits of Pi did you use?

Spot on, gentlemen, spot on.

Clappin'Man

p.s. I'll wait a day or so to post another head-thumper ... gotta rest those weary noggins ... smoke 'em if you got 'em. Or, better yet, simply contemplate the exquisite backsides of a few MET babes.

ramblin'man wrote:

how many digits of Pi did you use? I just used my PC calculator so it has Pi to about 20 digits the actual answer I got was:

1.1591549430918953357688837633725 km from the South Pole.
or for those of us here in England that's 0.72miles.

If you start at the North Pole and walk 1km South...OK

Then if you take a compass bearing and walk in a straight line West (or East) then you would be walking away from the North Pole as soon as you started to move? In order to arrive at a point to enable you to walk one 1km back to the North Pole then you would have to constantly correct your course ie walk West (or East) in an arc....not easy to do eh?

How about this one?

My post count shows (at present) 1708....BUT when I look at my profile and look at the 'find all posts by' ie get the result 1714. Where have the 6 missing posts gone?
_________________
BIKINI DARE FOLDER:
Katie Kay Folder:

PM me for the new file list

buddlikesthecuteones wrote:

A mathematician named Fine
Had a new value of Pi to assign.
He'd fix it at three
For it's simpler you see
Than 3.14159

With limericks, who needs calculators?