**psst** Are you enjoying Scam School? You've gotta check out our *brand-new series* "The Modern Rogue" at th-cam.com/users/modernrogue. If you've seen it, reply and tell me what you think. If not, then get on over there. I'll bet you a dollar you love it. -Brian
I got the second riddle by logic and the third riddle by dumb luck. I went through a few combinations and 3-3-8 just kept resounding with me. When Mike mentioned the thing about "the ELDEST likes chocolate means the eldest can't have a twin" and the you mentioned the 2-6-6 set it just made 3-3-8 sound even better.
Probably lying. I usually solve the puzzles in these videos, and rarely comment saying so. The first two were ok, but the last part of the last one got me completely. Really good stuff!! Awesome vid :D
Jeb Slick I only post that I found the answer because I fell proud of my achievement because I feel like I would have to be quite smart to solve things Brian Brushwood couldn't solve, I mean with all the time he spend on these videos training his mind like that he must be damn good at it.
6:47 "Surely that's it, because adding them up would make the sum as the hosue across the street. That's the number we don't have, so if it's the three that add up, surely the house across the street is whatever number is those three added up". That's the biggest 200 IQ statement of all time.
Scam School, as a maths major, I find the mathematics in your videos rather simple. That being said, I still adore them, because they encourage everyone to think differently when it comes to problem solving. What you are teaching is common sense and lateral thinking when approaching new problems. Something that they don't teach in school and is rather hard to teach in the first place.
So I went and tried this out on my 11 year old friend, and bet two pieces of gum on it. At my age, gum is big. This is my failure story. This is pretty much how the conversation went. I told him the riddle.(3rd one.) "So if I guess and get it wrong, do I get another guess?" "Sure, I mean, but you can't guess all the factors of 72." "Yeah, of course. So, ummmmmmmmm, 3 times 3 times 8?" "Holy crud!!! How the heck--?" So I'm thinking, no way, just, whaaaaaaaaat?! "Did I get it right." "How in the world--? Did you just guess?" "Well, I used the one and two statements. Since 3+3+8=14." "Well how did that help you? You don't know the house number is 14!" "Oh, yeah, then I used 1 and 3." "Well without statement 2, what use was 3?" "I don't know." "So you guessed?" "You know you still owe me the gum, right?" "Yes yes, fine." So this is my failure story of how I ended up forking over 2 big hunks of BLC. Thanks scam school. But you're still great.
+Griffin Murphy he just guessed. The answer shouldn't just be the numbers because anyone can get it right out of luck. To figure out why its those particular numbers, that's the hard part; the workings out. Get your gum back.
3:17 i can only use common logic and say none. if you using candles, you're possibly in the dark which could mean its night time. you fall asleep and the candles burn out. -UPDATE- 3:47 it makes sense seeing as the candles were blown out and wasnt burning throughout the time frame
Interestingly, if you know the owner of the house across the street bought his house numbers at that same hardware store, AND you know how much he paid for them, it doesn't give you any information. All 12 combinations have sums between 13 and 74, so no matter what, he would have paid $0.40
The daughters are 1, 4 and 18 1x4x18 = 72 1+4+18 = 23 The same as the number of letters in "the house across the street" The eldest daughter loves chocolate because she just had a bad breakup with her lesbian life-partner.
Very clever! However, Brian says "that" while only the caption says "the", so... technicalities and whatnot. Good job getting the "legit" card from Scam School though!
I was trying to search up the word riddles on TH-cam using the voice search. It didn't turn out well Me: riddles Search: eagles Me: no, riddles Search: noodles Me: riddles dammit Search: befuddled Me: arrrrrgggghh
I've actually heard the first one before! Definitely fooled the elementary school me. The second one "fooled" me but mostly because the candles I use burn for weeks.. I wouldn't have thought of the candles melting into a pool within a day like that. The third one was a really good one! I didn't quite understand your explanation and thought "well there would be no way to know that" since you just said "there are two permutations that add up to 14" yet you left out that none of the of sums of the other permutations add up to the same as any other permutation, causing there to be only one possibility for the mathematician to believe that there wasn't enough information (assuming that he knew the number of the building across the street). P.S. Knowing that the eldest child likes chocolate doesn't TRULY solve it. I have a cousin that was born 10 months after his sister within the same year, making the 2-6-6 permutation viable for those hints as well.
******SPOILERS*********** Number Placards @ 203. Got the candles one too but forgot to pause. If you prime factorize 72 you can figure out all possible ways to break it into a product of 3 numbers, you find only two of those combinations that have the same sum: 6, 6 and 2; and also 8, 3 and 3 both add to 14. So the number across the street is 14, which leaves two possibilities, knowing there is an eldest (singular) daughter tells us it's 8, 3 and 3 years old. @ 6:02. The chocolate doesn't matter, so it's ok if I take it.
I got the last riddle with a pencil and paper. I think all the numberphile I've been watching has done me some good with the math riddles. Clever how the information after the first clue seems so useless at first.
Typed before Brian reveals answer: I wrote down every possible combination to get the product 72. I then added the possible ages and wrote them next to it. Then with Brian's chocolate hint, i figured out that 2,6,6 doesn't work. Then I realized something, Brian says that the first mathematician points to the house across the street. The second mathematician knows something that we don't, the house number. but he claims that it is still unsolvable. this has to mean that there is a repeat in the sums. I looked through the sums and found that 2,6,6 and 3,3,8 both equals 14. the second mathematician says that it is solvable after the chocolate clue. so 2,6,6 is eliminated, leaving 3,3,8 the answer. (Got the first two right btw, hope this last one is too). After Reveal: I got it Brian, (needed that chocolate clue, but i got it!!!)!! also got the first two riddles, but this last one took me awhile
I get it now the chocolate hint means the eldest so 6, 6, 2 doesn't work because the 6, 6 year olds (aka twins) are both the oldest so and there can only be 1 eldest so that means 3, 3, 8 does work. GOOD JOB!!!!
Good stuff finding that hint, every riddle as that one hard to find hint that is needed to get the answer but is easily over looked thanks to other parts of the riddle. I watched this more then once and I was like this is unfair you can't get the answer, then I read your comment and said OOOhhh. Hats off to you.
What annoys me about this video is the fact that the statements the mathematicians made were not included in the on screen text, so I assumed that information was irreverent.
Lol i guessed the last one right by complete luck, i was like: "ehhh. 3, 3, and 8 gives 72 and i have no idea what to do with the other information so i would guess that."
2 years late, but the mathematician that proposed the question gave this hint knowing it would help the other one solve it, which means that the two eldest daughters couldn't have been twins
This is what we call sour grapes at not being able to figure out the riddle- Be honest- it’s not like from the first two clues you narrowed it down to either 6,6,2 or 8,3,3 and then said, “well that last clue doesn’t help because one of those 6-year-olds would be older by a few minutes.”
There's a problem with the third riddle. It suggests that any of the man's children that were born within a year of one another (are the same number of years old) are twins. When in actuality, he could have had them with a different woman or they could have been premature.
It is irrelevant if the are twins or not. Doesn't change the riddle or the logic or the answer. So making an assumption hey are twins is inaccurate. So what? The "eldest" simply implies the 2 oldest are not the same age thus eliminating 6 -6 -2. The fact that the only other answers is 3 -3 - 8 and the 3's are the same age is of no matter. The younger did not have to be the same age but that is how it worked out mathematically
yeah but if 2 of them are 6 who is to say one of them isnt a few months older than wouldnt that one be considered the eldest? Edit: Nvm eldest needs to be an age older i was thinking that the terms oldest and eldest meant the same thing.
SpaceWaster24 No one was counting minutes and seconds. But technically you are correct. So if you went with that answer good for you. If anyone actually worked it out to those answers realizing the clue about the eldest, then they would apply your logic and asset both could be correct. And if so I would agree. But I would think this argument would likely be made after the fact by someone that didnt not in fact narrow it down to two answers.
There is no difference between "eldest" and "oldest", except that eldest is only really used to describe the relationship between the ages of humans. Because of the problem I mentioned above, 2, 6 and 6 is technically also a valid answer, as one daughter would be two, the next could be exactly six and the Eldest could then be a few months older, being the eldest while still being the same number of years, six. In fact if one was older but had her birthday a day later than her sister, there could be a difference of as much as 364 days and they would still both be six.
Ok, I'll say my solution and reasoning to the last one before watching the answer. The 3rd clue tells you that the oldest are not twins, a fact that he was not sure of before. Only scenario where the oldest could've been twins is 266. This adds up 14. The 2nd clue at first glance seems useless, since you don't know the house number. But then you know that the mathmatician must know the house number so the only way that he wouldn't know the answer is if there are two or more solutions that add to 14. The only other which is 338.
On the last riddle, third clue does not say anything. It can be 2-6-6. Imagine one daughter born in january and second one in april. If you ask their age in may, they will be same age, but one of them will be clearly older. Therefore it is impossible to solve this riddle.
Scam School Well, riddle did not state, that daughters had same mother. And there are siblings (with same mother) less than year apart, but not twins. Especially mathematician would assume, that they can have same age. Even with last clue.
Omilis i got the last riddle (before answer came up on screen as i paused the video to work it out) basically the eldest is born in January but in February the egg is fertilised for the twins who are born in November(it takes 9 months for a child to be born) but this question happened in November (after the twins birthday) or in December
I actually use a similar riddle to the candle one to entertain tables while I serve for work... (Simplified) You fire at 3 birds in a tree and miss them all. How many birds are in the tree? I like riddles you can use anywhere, and Scam School has always been my inspiration; this video is the epitome of that and given me a few more tricks to entertain the masses ❤🎉❤
+Josh There are only 2 sequences that add up to 14 right, 3-3-8 and 2-6-6.The last clue suggests that the eldest's age is different from the others' which eliminates the 2-6-6.
Thien An Duong Do Yeah, but I don't understand how it eliminates 2-6-6. Because couldn't it be that the two 6 year olds are either born 9 to 12 months apart, but the same amount of years old. Or the mathematician had daughters with two different people at the same time. Or most likely, the two 6 year olds are simply twins and the older one likes chocolate?
Scam School Guessed the first one when you said 12 costs 40 cents... honestly I'm surprised the second one "floored" you, you must have heard it told with more subtle delivery. The third one I've heard before, but I forgot the answer.
GizmoTheViking Sorry :( .... Well you will be happy to hear that you just enter a picture in my head of twin boobs pulled out at exact same time ... Thank you .
yes I do realize that the quick "but the mathematician said it was impossible" does make it solvable, *but* that wasn't listed as one of the *only 3 things you need to solve the riddle* so therefore he was still lying, just less than if he didn't say that part at all
I watched this in the middle of the night trying to watch something before I went to sleep, but the last one kept me up until I pulled out pencil and paper and worked it out! I’m going to sleep now...
+Fernand Alejandrino basically, before the guy closes the window 3 of the 10 candles have gone out due to the wind. During the course of the entire night the other 7 remain lit and burn down leaving you with only the three candles that got blown out left intact.
3 candles were blown out so they can't burn anymore so they will stay 3 candles the other 7 stayed lit so now they melt into piles of wax so you only have 3 candles left over
Reminds me of the one riddle where two people were trying to figure out this girl's birthday. She tells one the day and the other the month and gives both a list of possible dates. (May 15, 16, 19, June 17, 18, July 14, 16 August 14, 15 ,17) The Man who knows the month says "I don't know, but I do know that the other guy doesn't know either.". To which the second guy states "I didn't know before, but I do now!". The first guy then claims "I now know as well.". Assuming no one is lying or wrong, what is the girl's Birthday?
ok i have three riddles for you guys John & Emily have 20 dollars to go to the school dance all together, to get in is only $5, but yet they both cant go why not? A:because there fish Luke is sleeping in his house late one morning and all the sudden a train goes by. Afterwards Luke is dead on the ground with glass surrounding him. How is this possible? A: Because he's a fish Diego is sitting watching the seals when all the sudden he gets thrown in. He's getting eaten alive and nobody does anything, why is this? A: Because he's a ginger
Got the last one right (3 3 8) but had to use pen and paper to jot down all the factors of 72 and ways to multiply before eliminating the impossible choices. It's really hard for someone to just do it in their head, but great riddle nonetheless :)
The first riddle doesn't make much sense. You would only ask for them like that if they were physically joined together, in which case they would likely all cost the same amount (if they were even sold like that). There would also be no reason for him to ask about 1 and 12. There are also other options where they are sold in differing amounts and are so cheap that buying just a few is uneconomical. For example, it could be 20c for a single washer, 40c for a pack of 50 and 60 for a pack of 200.
And who even asks for door numbers like that? They'd either look for them in the store, ask "do you have door numbers here?", or say "can I get a 1 and a 2 please?"
There were only 12 possible answers, which means that every one in twelve people who guess the answer would be correct. At the time that I'm making this comment, there have been 788,523 on this video. 788,523/12 = 6571 That means that if EVERYONE guessed the answer, then around 6571 would have gotten it right. So, good on you for guessing the answer correctly, but it's not that much of an achievement.
+Cameron Pearce Incorrect. Out of all those people there is an astronomically low chance that every single one guessed 3-3-8. Just because he guessed 3-3-8, doesnt mean I have to guess any other combination except 3-3-8 nor do all those people.
DA BODEH No, I didn't say that everyone would guess 3-3-8. I said that if everyone guessed at random, then a twelfth of them would get it right, seeing as there are only twelve answers to choose from. Since there are 6571 people who could have gotten it right just by guessing, there is an extremely high chance that at least one of them (Colin D) would brag about it.
DA BODEH 1 in 12 is the probability, not the exact sample ratio. I don't know the exact sample size, but I can bet you that it is pretty close to what I calculated.
The last one is probably my favorite puzzle that I have found on scam school. Many of them are too easy if you actually work them out (which I know doesn't happen in the bar often) or use themes from other common puzzles that are easily recognizable to somebody who solves lots of puzzles. Others are just impossibly difficult to solve without having seen them before. It just isn't reasonable to assume that anybody could guess the obscure answer out of the blue. This one strikes the perfect balance. It presents a challenge but, it should be possible for anybody who actually spends the time to work it out on paper.
Okay, I paused the video before the last one, and worked in out in my head. Took a few minutes, but it's 8, 3, 3: The prime factorization of 72 is 2^3 * 3^2, which means the only combinations (and their respective sums) are: 1 + 1 + 72 = 74 1 + 2 + 36 = 39 1 + 3 + 24 = 28 1 + 4 + 18 = 23 1 + 6 + 12 = 19 1 + 8 + 9 = 18 2 + 2 + 18 = 22 2 + 3 + 12 = 17 2 + 4 + 9 = 15 2 + 6 + 6 = 14 3 + 3 + 8 = 14 3 + 4 + 6 = 13 The only one which is indeterminable is 14, which means his daughters are either 3, 3, and 8, or 2, 6, and 6. When the first mathematician says "my ELDEST daughter", it means it can't be 2, 6, and 6 because there *is* no eldest daughter. And let me tell you, doing all that factoring and adding in my head was a PITA. Pretty cool, though.
ok ima at 6:08 PLZ DONT HATE i think that the "eldest" refers to there actually being an eldest daughter. that means that they're not all the same age. its 2 4 and 9. lets go. or maybe 3 3 and 8.
Haha! I got the daughter riddle right! Not by his process, it was more of a "Well, people don't give babies chocolate, so let's go with three small numbers." So 3, 3, and 8 were the numbers I came up with. Lol, I did *not* do it right.
it's 8, 3 and 3. You know this because the last hint about the eldest liking chocolate makes it clear to the other mathematician. Assuming he knew the the house number that means that the mathematician was debating between two solutions where the ages added up to the number across the street. The hint about the eldest daughter told the mathematician that there were not two oldest daughters. The only combination where there could be two oldest daughters is at 2 6 and 6. These would add up to 14. the only other combination that adds up to 14 is 8, 3 and 3. Therefore, these must be the ages of the daughters.
I didn't get 1, got two, got three but I've seen a video before with that riddle however didn't remember the answers. I got it wrong the first time though. I remembered the chocolate clue meant something about twins. Since I didn't remember the answers, i thought "divide the product by a square number". I instantly though of nine, 72/9=8. The high number is eight. Now the square root of nine is three, so two threes, the twins. 8, 3, 3
I got the first one with ease, the second one is sooo obvious and the last one needed your thinking cap, so I did solve 2 out of 3 and the last one was pretty close, good one, give us more brushwood
The last one requires you to imagine that you know something that you actually do not, because the person who solved the riddle does have that information. The number of the house across the street. This is because there are only a few sets of 3 numbers which multiply to 72. And, almost all of them add up to a distinct number. (24, 3, and 1 add to 28, and no other grouping that multiplies to 72 does.) Meaning, if it were any other number being added to BUT the one that is the house number, the friend could solve it, but he can't. That number is 14 (8+3+3 or 6+6+2) Once the man revealed that there is a child who is distinctly the "oldest" (as in, an age numerically greater than that either sibling) you are left with only the possibility of 8+3+3.
Boom got the 3rd one, because the first mathematician knows the answer it means that he has eliminated all possibilities by the time the 2nd hint is told, except for some specific set of numbers that are giving double (or maybe more) solutions. This means that the only 3 numbers that work are 2 6 6 and 3 3 8 from the 1st hint. The 3rd hint gives 2 hints, it tells that there cannot be any twins and because the second mathematician now has enough information, he had already got most of the information by the time the 2nd hint was told.
it's 3 3 and 8 first rule: multiply to 72 second rule: house number across the street has to be even or odd. adding up to odd has many cases that satisfy the conditions, but there is only one right answer, so it can't be odd. it has to add up to even so it can be either 3 3 and 8 or 2 6 and 6 third rule: eldest likes chocolate, so there can only be one eldest, so 2 6 and 6 doesn't work, so only 3 3 and 8 is left
The first riddle really got me, the second one I figured the answer. For the 3rd one I heard a similar riddle (the product was 36) so was easy to figure it out, because I already knew how. What I don't like in the 3rd riddle is that regardless if the girls are twins or not, one of them is older than the other. Even if is just a few minutes.
OK so here's how I look at the last one. There are 12 ways that whole number ages can multiply to 72 [1,1,72], [1,2,36], [1,3,24], [1,4,18], [1,6,12] , [1,8,9], [2,2,18], [2,3,12], [2,4,9],[2,6,6], [3,3,8], [3,4,6] Since he cannot tell from the number across the street he the sum of the ages must not be unique [2,6,6] and [3,3,8] are the only sets that share a sum (14) Given that the clue given is that there's an eldest we'll assume he means eldest as in a unique age and [3,3,8] is the set.
I didn't get number one, my best guess was nuts or bolts as they come in odd quantities vs their price. Number 2 I got before the guy even said anything. Number 3, is an odd math puzzle 1) a*b*c = 72 2) a+b+c = something 3) One of them is older than the others 4) A hidden fact is that their age must be a whole positive number 5) Extra hidden fact, you know that with the first two facts it cannot be solved, so there must be two sums that have the same value, which would be the number on the house. The "This is impossible to solve", is a key point to the story. So first you have to start with all the products for 72. 72=2*4*9; 72 = 2*3*12; 72 = 3*3*8; 72 = 2*2*18; 72 = 6 *6 * 2 2+4+9=15; 2+3+12=17; 3+3+8=14; 2+2+18=22; 6+6+2=14 So the answer must be 3, 3, and 8.
Okay, Third one: The product of their ages is 72. The prime factorization of 72 is 2x2x2x3x3. So, you could get girls who are (2,4,9), (2, 6, 6), (2, 2, 18), (3, 3, 8) (2, 3, 12)...I can't see any more. They could also be (1, 1, 72) but I doubt it. The sum of their ages being the house across the street--let's do the sum of their ages. 2+4+9+=15, 2+6+6=14, 2+2+18=22, 3+3+8=14, 2+3+12=17. The cartoon riddle mathematician (in riddles like this, CRMs have the ability to instantly know if they do or do not have enough information) doesn't have enough information until the statement "The eldest daughter likes chocolate." I have a feeling that the word "eldest" is significant, and "chocolate" is a misdirection. "Eldest" suggests that the one with the highest age is singular. That eliminates (2,6,6). I notice that two of the combinations above had a sum of 14, one of which is (2,6,6), which we've just eliminated, so it's the other one, (3,3,8). Hot damn, I solved all of them!
I literally spent 5mins writing out all the factors of 72, the 3 digit combos and their sums, found out only 2 combos had the same sum and that only one combo had an eldest child (ie not twins). It took time but I got the right answer. Not so much a riddle as it is a wordy math problem.
Just because you have two children that are the same "age" doesn't mean one isn't older than the other - in any first grade class there will be multiple 5-yr-olds, and it's highly unlikely no one is older than the rest. Also, there is no indication that the second mathematician knows the street address of the house across the street, given the information in the question, so you can't automatically ascribe this to his reasoning of not knowing the answer any more than there just being too many possibilities.
#1 Metal numerals #2 Can't really tell since you don't know how long the candles burn, but let's say 10 will be left in some form. #3 First answer I came up with is 1, 8, 9 that fits all 3 clues because the product is 72 and it is reasonable to believe that the a 9 years old girl would love chocolate. The house number across the street means nothing, since we don't even know if it is even or odd. Of course, you didn't say that two weren't twins so it could be 3, 3 and 8 that also fits all 3 clues. So, for that matter would 1, 6, 12. The fact that the eldest likes chocolate doesn't mean that she doesn't have a twin sister. Since twins are not born on the same second and if you as any set of twin which is the eldest, most will be able to tell you. So that explanation given at the end is bogus, 2, 6,6 fits all the clues also.
They could have definitely done the mathematician's daughter one without pen and paper. Realising that the mathematician was unsure before hearing that there was an eldest, forces there to be a square number in one of the possibilities, i.e twins, whose age are older than the 3rd daughter. The only square numbers that are factors of 72 are: 36 (6*6*2), 9 (3*3*8), 4 (2*2*18), and 1 (1,1,72). But since you need the twins to be older, you can almost instantly deduce that they are 6 (you don't need to check every square number factor), meaning that the sum and therefore the house number is 14. Then it's just a matter of finding the only other set that sums to 14. You know that there is only one other possible combination because knowing there is an eldest is enough to solve the problem, and (6,6,2) was the only combination without an eldest. Finding 3+3+8 is easy after that.
I couldn't work out the 3rd riddle because I suck at math but I was convinced that the guy from the 3rd riddle was the one who bought the house numbers.
I haven't heard the answer to the 3rd riddle yet, BUT, I think the answer is 3, 3, and 8... This is because only that combination and 2, 6, and 6 equal 18. Therefore if you can rule out one (because there are not older twins) it must be the other. Right?
My girlfriend and I came to the conclusion of 3, 3, 8 as well but for a reason I haven't heard mentioned. "The eldest daughter loves chocolATE" We took it as a hint to the number 8, which eliminated basically all other combos.
about the third puzzle...another tricky clue is that it can't be solved without the 3rd clue. so you can kinda assume that one number will be square(9=3x3) and another will be a larger no. (8) First puzzle was crazy...couldn't figure out that one.
I found the third to be the easiest. The first two require abstract thinking, but the third one is pretty straightforward and very similar to most of the math logic puzzles that circulate.
I heard the first two before. Last one... “The eldest daughter loves chocolate.” This tells us that the largest number isn’t a twin. “The sum of their ages is the number of the house across the street... impossible to tell.” There must be two answers with a twin, and hence the one with one larger number instead of one smaller is the solution. So let’s find the Prime factors. 72/2 = 36. /2 = 18. /2 = 9. And /3 =3. Here, we have two 2’s, two 3’s, and a spare 2. The twins can be 1, 2, 3, or 6. Since the eldest loves chocolate, it can’t be 6. But since we infer the sum works with 6, we have a solution of 6+6+2=14. The remaining siblings (with two twins) that work are 3+3+8.
I solved all three! After a bit of thinking though. The third riddle, I got the right answer but the wrong way, I thought since there's no way to know the number of the house the numbers "spelled" out a word and got 833 or "BEE when they're turned upside down. Got it right by coincidence :3
I couldn't get the first one, the second was easy I'm sure a lot of people got it but the third one that was meant to be most difficult I got instantly. In less than a second. Easy.
Answer to riddle 1: house numbers? 1-2-2; each number costs 20 cents. Answer to riddle 2: hmm, it would still have to be 10 candles even though 7 are melted? Or 3 whole candles? Answer to riddle 3: The last line indicates that all three daughters are not the same age since she is referred to as the eldest? Didn't get this one.
I solved them all. I factored out 72, then did the calculation on what would tie up two eldest. Then I did the calculation for what would add up to 14 with the first two being different.
First two were simple, but I work at a hardware distribution centre ;) . The last one a little trickier. My favourite riddle is... There is a lightbulb in an attic. Downstairs, where you cannot see the light from the attic, there are 3 switches. One operates the light, while the other two do not. You can switch the lightswitches however you wish, but can only go to the attic once, then you must say which switch operates the lightbulb. How would you do it? Oh, I will throw this in there. You are completely naked, so no you do not have a multi tool in your pocket, and if you do have a multi tool with you, I really do not want to know about it LOL.
+quedorf My favorite one: A bear wakes up, walks 10 miles South, 10 miles East and 10 miles North, thus returning to the starting point. What color is the bear?
+Eli Lund Right :) The riddle as it is is interesting because the question about the color of the bear usually startles people because it seems so disconnected from the data provided. But it becomes mathematically more interesting when you remove the bear and you wonder if the bear's starting point is the only one that would meet the path requirements.
Video paused at 7:00 while I type this. 72 factors into 1*2*2*2*3*3 Using these numbers we get the following list of possibilities for the house number 1+1+72=74 1+2+36=39 1+3+24=28 1+4+18=23 1+6+12=19 1+8+9=18 2+2+18=22 2+3+12=17 2+4+9=15 2+6+6=14 3+3+8=14 3+4+6=13 Since the we know that the 2nd mathematician knows the house number but couldn't solve the riddle at first, we know the solution is not unique. The only house number with more than one solution is 14, with the possibilities of the ages being either 2 6 6 or 3 3 8. With the added information that the eldest loves chocolate we learn that there is an eldest, ie the eldest is not a twin, therefore the ages of the children are 3 3 and 8 and the house number is 14.
Haha That last one is a famous puzzle. The really important bit is the impossible/possible distinction. You end up with multiple 'possibilities', and if we didn't know that it MUST have an answer after the third clue, it wouldn't be solvable.
I only damn well got the 3rd one. Damn...I am so pumped for myself. I definitely paused, I definitely sat for a while with some mental jogging and a calculator, it would have made for bad TV, but I damn well got it. Hell yeah!
I very quickly got the fact that there had to be 2 number sets that add up to the same number, 1 of which had to have a tie in the higher number ... but for some reason I kept missing 2-6-6 as an option until I just sat down and started plotting every solution. After it was obvious that 72 didn't divide by 16 or 25...I stopped trying squares higher than 9. That hung me up for a while.
I might have seen this years ago I honestly don't remember but for the last riddle I had the gist of it after some thought I just didn't bother writing every possible product to find the exact answer but I knew what the clues represented.
**psst** Are you enjoying Scam School? You've gotta check out our *brand-new series* "The Modern Rogue" at th-cam.com/users/modernrogue. If you've seen it, reply and tell me what you think. If not, then get on over there. I'll bet you a dollar you love it. -Brian
Idk about that but I figured out the third riddle. Buy me beer please.
Where the fuck did he get 14 fron
I need my dollar
I need my dollar, I absolutely love the show
I got the second riddle by logic and the third riddle by dumb luck. I went through a few combinations and 3-3-8 just kept resounding with me. When Mike mentioned the thing about "the ELDEST likes chocolate means the eldest can't have a twin" and the you mentioned the 2-6-6 set it just made 3-3-8 sound even better.
"If you get one right I'll buy you beer all night" *gets the second one right* "ok we are tied now"
+Brandon Chapman spoiler: I buy all the beers every night we shoot.
ok, that's awesome!!
Spoiler: just subscribed lol nice vids
Yeah the second one was pretty much common sense
These riddles are a good reminder to think outside the box.
Grant thompson
madgamer minecraft grant I love ur vids I've subbed and clicked like on every vid I've watched.😹
Gttkor
Lol, my favorite thing about all these videos is all the subscribers bragging about how smart they are and how quick the figured it out.
welcome to the internet. Amazingly, it only took 6 years for me to stop being annoyed by it.
Scam School I honestly feel kind of bad for you, having to deal with that for so long. Either way, i like your videos, so keep up the good work.
And now they are all making money off friends using these riddles they did not now before this episode :p
Probably lying. I usually solve the puzzles in these videos, and rarely comment saying so. The first two were ok, but the last part of the last one got me completely. Really good stuff!! Awesome vid :D
Jeb Slick I only post that I found the answer because I fell proud of my achievement because I feel like I would have to be quite smart to solve things Brian Brushwood couldn't solve, I mean with all the time he spend on these videos training his mind like that he must be damn good at it.
That one time you see a clean shaved Jason😂
Two years late, but he looks like some kind of weird baby
He was shaved for the entire time on hacking the system. I saw that first before modern rogue, and I thought he looked weird with a beard.
Our brain is just completely ignoring the "It's impossible with the current information" as a hint :D
Yup
I'm guessing that's because it wasn't displayed on the screen.
The horses name was friday
icarly?
+Derrick Barnes Yes, iCarly!!! :D
+Danielle Mcintyre lol I just watched that episode with my younger brother like 2 hours ago
GizmoGaming
Lol, me too! I watched it on Nickelodeon, the same episode :D
+afrochickenboy No the horses name was John Cena
6:47
"Surely that's it, because adding them up would make the sum as the hosue across the street. That's the number we don't have, so if it's the three that add up, surely the house across the street is whatever number is those three added up".
That's the biggest 200 IQ statement of all time.
I don't get it. All the possibilities have 3 numbers that add up. What's special about this one?
Scam school is the perfect mix of comedy and brain melting. Thanks Brian!
glad you dig it!
Scam School you forgot to make annotation
I completely guessed 3-3-8 and I was right.😜😜😜😜😜😜😍😡😰😱😵😓😏😕😝😝😹🙀👌🏼💪🏼👐🏼🙏🏼👋🏼👍🏼🐸
Scam School, as a maths major, I find the mathematics in your videos rather simple.
That being said, I still adore them, because they encourage everyone to think differently when it comes to problem solving. What you are teaching is common sense and lateral thinking when approaching new problems. Something that they don't teach in school and is rather hard to teach in the first place.
So I went and tried this out on my 11 year old friend, and bet two pieces of gum on it. At my age, gum is big. This is my failure story. This is pretty much how the conversation went. I told him the riddle.(3rd one.)
"So if I guess and get it wrong, do I get another guess?"
"Sure, I mean, but you can't guess all the factors of 72."
"Yeah, of course. So, ummmmmmmmm, 3 times 3 times 8?"
"Holy crud!!! How the heck--?" So I'm thinking, no way, just, whaaaaaaaaat?!
"Did I get it right."
"How in the world--? Did you just guess?"
"Well, I used the one and two statements. Since 3+3+8=14."
"Well how did that help you? You don't know the house number is 14!"
"Oh, yeah, then I used 1 and 3."
"Well without statement 2, what use was 3?"
"I don't know."
"So you guessed?"
"You know you still owe me the gum, right?"
"Yes yes, fine." So this is my failure story of how I ended up forking over 2 big hunks of BLC. Thanks scam school. But you're still great.
+Griffin Murphy he just guessed. The answer shouldn't just be the numbers because anyone can get it right out of luck. To figure out why its those particular numbers, that's the hard part; the workings out. Get your gum back.
3:17 i can only use common logic and say none. if you using candles, you're possibly in the dark which could mean its night time. you fall asleep and the candles burn out.
-UPDATE-
3:47 it makes sense seeing as the candles were blown out and wasnt burning throughout the time frame
the number across the street is 122 from the guy in the first qustion
@@Limeonades_. Yeah it is 12 + 2 = 14... lol
Interestingly, if you know the owner of the house across the street bought his house numbers at that same hardware store, AND you know how much he paid for them, it doesn't give you any information. All 12 combinations have sums between 13 and 74, so no matter what, he would have paid $0.40
The daughters are 1, 4 and 18
1x4x18 = 72
1+4+18 = 23 The same as the number of letters in "the house across the street"
The eldest daughter loves chocolate because she just had a bad breakup with her lesbian life-partner.
+ImperiousViking seems legit.
that escalated unexpectedly
Very clever! However, Brian says "that" while only the caption says "the", so... technicalities and whatnot. Good job getting the "legit" card from Scam School though!
HOLYYYYY SHEIZER, THE NUMBER OF THE HOUSE ACROSS MY STREET IS 23 😲😲😯😱😱😱
+ImperiousViking in that case the mathmetician wouldn't have needed the 2nd piece of information
as a family with twins, there is always an 'oldest' twin. The chocolate doesn't remove anything.
I was trying to search up the word riddles on TH-cam using the voice search. It didn't turn out well
Me: riddles
Search: eagles
Me: no, riddles
Search: noodles
Me: riddles dammit
Search: befuddled
Me: arrrrrgggghh
The riddle is: How do you use voice search to search for riddles?
周 むてん Oh, I was on an iPad so it gave the option for voice search
That could be turned into a riddle...?
I've actually heard the first one before! Definitely fooled the elementary school me.
The second one "fooled" me but mostly because the candles I use burn for weeks.. I wouldn't have thought of the candles melting into a pool within a day like that.
The third one was a really good one! I didn't quite understand your explanation and thought "well there would be no way to know that" since you just said "there are two permutations that add up to 14" yet you left out that none of the of sums of the other permutations add up to the same as any other permutation, causing there to be only one possibility for the mathematician to believe that there wasn't enough information (assuming that he knew the number of the building across the street).
P.S. Knowing that the eldest child likes chocolate doesn't TRULY solve it. I have a cousin that was born 10 months after his sister within the same year, making the 2-6-6 permutation viable for those hints as well.
******SPOILERS***********
Number Placards @ 203. Got the candles one too but forgot to pause.
If you prime factorize 72 you can figure out all possible ways to break it into a product of 3 numbers, you find only two of those combinations that have the same sum: 6, 6 and 2; and also 8, 3 and 3 both add to 14. So the number across the street is 14, which leaves two possibilities, knowing there is an eldest (singular) daughter tells us it's 8, 3 and 3 years old. @ 6:02.
The chocolate doesn't matter, so it's ok if I take it.
I got the last riddle with a pencil and paper. I think all the numberphile I've been watching has done me some good with the math riddles. Clever how the information after the first clue seems so useless at first.
Typed before Brian reveals answer: I wrote down every possible combination to get the product 72. I then added the possible ages and wrote them next to it. Then with Brian's chocolate hint, i figured out that 2,6,6 doesn't work. Then I realized something, Brian says that the first mathematician points to the house across the street. The second mathematician knows something that we don't, the house number. but he claims that it is still unsolvable. this has to mean that there is a repeat in the sums. I looked through the sums and found that 2,6,6 and 3,3,8 both equals 14. the second mathematician says that it is solvable after the chocolate clue. so 2,6,6 is eliminated, leaving 3,3,8 the answer. (Got the first two right btw, hope this last one is too).
After Reveal: I got it Brian, (needed that chocolate clue, but i got it!!!)!! also got the first two riddles, but this last one took me awhile
well done!
Scam School Thanks!!
I get it now the chocolate hint means the eldest so 6, 6, 2 doesn't work because the 6, 6 year olds (aka twins) are both the oldest so and there can only be 1 eldest so that means 3, 3, 8 does work. GOOD JOB!!!!
Maria Tomich thanks, but i think the house number hint was the most difficult to figure out.
Good stuff finding that hint, every riddle as that one hard to find hint that is needed to get the answer but is easily over looked thanks to other parts of the riddle. I watched this more then once and I was like this is unfair you can't get the answer, then I read your comment and said OOOhhh. Hats off to you.
What annoys me about this video is the fact that the statements the mathematicians made were not included in the on screen text, so I assumed that information was irreverent.
Peter Schorn *irrelevant
Scam School so what?
Sierra Autumn so it's a little misleading
I tagged Scam School , So i obviously was talking to them saying it doesn't matter how you spelled it :)
Sierra Autumn sorry
Okay, but, there's always going to be an eldest in a set of twins. They don't just magically come out at the same time.
I thought the same thing!
conjoined twins
lmao
That's the problem with this riddle. It is supposed to be extremely difficult, and yet it punishes you for thinking too hard about it.
Not twins- two mothers who gave birth at precisely the same time.
I got the last one right! I'm so happy!
Wow. I thought "the house across the street" might've had something to do with the first riddle where the man bought house numbers😂😂 Clever .
Yea that second one I figured out as quick as in the episode. Brian you should have got that one.
I am dumb.
Ditto mate
Scam School Thanks man :D
Scam School out of most popular youtubers im surprised you reply
After seeing more recent videos with Jason having a beard, an almost clean-shaven Jason haunts me
Lol i guessed the last one right by complete luck, i was like: "ehhh. 3, 3, and 8 gives 72 and i have no idea what to do with the other information so i would guess that."
N1nJaMuFf1n lucky win is still a win!
Same lol I
best participants by far. they took it so well and didn't give up after 2 minutes. bring them back!!
Is it bad that I get excited as hell when new videos come through? Scam School is like crack for me I swear, even the throwbacks
Twins, one is still older even if it's by minutes...
ಠ_ಠ
+Scam School F******
But it's not likely one twin would dislike chocolate. But that wasn't the point to the hint.
2 years late, but the mathematician that proposed the question gave this hint knowing it would help the other one solve it, which means that the two eldest daughters couldn't have been twins
This is what we call sour grapes at not being able to figure out the riddle-
Be honest- it’s not like from the first two clues you narrowed it down to either 6,6,2 or 8,3,3 and then said, “well that last clue doesn’t help because one of those 6-year-olds would be older by a few minutes.”
I subscribed when I saw his face :). When I saw the tricks I had to make new account and subscribe once again! Good Job
+Flore Loriz hah, thanks!
+Scam School You got a new haircut in this one lol, I was watching the 2011 episodes
There's a problem with the third riddle. It suggests that any of the man's children that were born within a year of one another (are the same number of years old) are twins. When in actuality, he could have had them with a different woman or they could have been premature.
It is irrelevant if the are twins or not. Doesn't change the riddle or the logic or the answer. So making an assumption hey are twins is inaccurate. So what? The "eldest" simply implies the 2 oldest are not the same age thus eliminating 6 -6 -2. The fact that the only other answers is 3 -3 - 8 and the 3's are the same age is of no matter. The younger did not have to be the same age but that is how it worked out mathematically
yeah but if 2 of them are 6 who is to say one of them isnt a few months older than wouldnt that one be considered the eldest? Edit: Nvm eldest needs to be an age older i was thinking that the terms oldest and eldest meant the same thing.
SpaceWaster24 No one was counting minutes and seconds. But technically you are correct. So if you went with that answer good for you. If anyone actually worked it out to those answers realizing the clue about the eldest, then they would apply your logic and asset both could be correct. And if so I would agree. But I would think this argument would likely be made after the fact by someone that didnt not in fact narrow it down to two answers.
Lou Paul yeah if people narrowed it down most would pick 8 3 3 your right.
There is no difference between "eldest" and "oldest", except that eldest is only really used to describe the relationship between the ages of humans.
Because of the problem I mentioned above, 2, 6 and 6 is technically also a valid answer, as one daughter would be two, the next could be exactly six and the Eldest could then be a few months older, being the eldest while still being the same number of years, six.
In fact if one was older but had her birthday a day later than her sister, there could be a difference of as much as 364 days and they would still both be six.
Ok, I'll say my solution and reasoning to the last one before watching the answer.
The 3rd clue tells you that the oldest are not twins, a fact that he was not sure of before. Only scenario where the oldest could've been twins is 266. This adds up 14.
The 2nd clue at first glance seems useless, since you don't know the house number. But then you know that the mathmatician must know the house number so the only way that he wouldn't know the answer is if there are two or more solutions that add to 14. The only other which is 338.
I love it in the introduction where all the people are looking at Brian like- "What the..."
On the last riddle, third clue does not say anything. It can be 2-6-6. Imagine one daughter born in january and second one in april. If you ask their age in may, they will be same age, but one of them will be clearly older. Therefore it is impossible to solve this riddle.
Omilis a four-month gestation period seems rather... unlikely.
Scam School Well, riddle did not state, that daughters had same mother. And there are siblings (with same mother) less than year apart, but not twins.
Especially mathematician would assume, that they can have same age. Even with last clue.
Omilis Pedantic. No beer for you!
Omilis i got the last riddle (before answer came up on screen as i paused the video to work it out) basically the eldest is born in January but in February the egg is fertilised for the twins who are born in November(it takes 9 months for a child to be born) but this question happened in November (after the twins birthday) or in December
You have a three by three by three hole in the ground, how much dirt is in it? None its a hole
What if I put dirt in the hole?
+ApricotPit02 XD the hole gets smaller
You didnt let me guess
@@truscorpio13 - "What if I put dirt in the hole?"... then it is no longer a hole. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You should wear a Riddler unitard and do a superhero based scam next episode.
Connor Hayes good point.
Scam School Yo Brian. What's the email I can give you puzzles at?
Connor Hayes hint: it's the address I give out almost every episode. Brian@shwood.com
Scam School Brian, did you ever get my puzzles? I emailed them to you last week.
I actually use a similar riddle to the candle one to entertain tables while I serve for work...
(Simplified) You fire at 3 birds in a tree and miss them all. How many birds are in the tree?
I like riddles you can use anywhere, and Scam School has always been my inspiration; this video is the epitome of that and given me a few more tricks to entertain the masses ❤🎉❤
The third one is impossible to figure out without knowing the house number
But that leaves two possibilities left, so how does the oldest daughter liking chocolate cancel one of the possibilities out?
+Jackie Bruhn your right my bad
+Josh There are only 2 sequences that add up to 14 right, 3-3-8 and 2-6-6.The last clue suggests that the eldest's age is different from the others' which eliminates the 2-6-6.
Thien An Duong Do Yeah, but I don't understand how it eliminates 2-6-6. Because couldn't it be that the two 6 year olds are either born 9 to 12 months apart, but the same amount of years old. Or the mathematician had daughters with two different people at the same time. Or most likely, the two 6 year olds are simply twins and the older one likes chocolate?
i know right how are you supposed to know the house number is 14 the only things these people do is give a vague explanation with big words
One of twins is almost always the elder.
Also, they don't have to be twins. Oldest daughter can be born in January, second daughter can be born in November. They are both 6.
Blah blah blah. Solved I win
ಠ_ಠ
Scam School Guessed the first one when you said 12 costs 40 cents... honestly I'm surprised the second one "floored" you, you must have heard it told with more subtle delivery. The third one I've heard before, but I forgot the answer.
Blah blah blah. you solved you lost
2*6*6=72=14 - 3*3*8=72=14
Even among twins (Regular) only one is eldest.
***** Now you gave me a picture of twins being pulled out at the exact same time so neither is older ... DAMN YOU!
GizmoTheViking Sorry :( ....
Well you will be happy to hear that
you just enter a picture in my head of twin boobs pulled out at exact same time ... Thank you .
second one came from professor layton curious village
Layton stole its riddles from older sources
so basically, it was impossible for *us* to know because we didn't have the number 14.
a*b*c=72
a+b+c=z
a
yes I do realize that the quick "but the mathematician said it was impossible" does make it solvable, *but* that wasn't listed as one of the *only 3 things you need to solve the riddle* so therefore he was still lying, just less than if he didn't say that part at all
I watched this in the middle of the night trying to watch something before I went to sleep, but the last one kept me up until I pulled out pencil and paper and worked it out! I’m going to sleep now...
What the hell is that thumbnail
i.ytimg.com/vi/8QBPXNv_s04/maxresdefault.jpg
ThelolipopCreeper
the purest definition of beauty.
You Dont Need To Know This seems like it got us both to click on the video
Can someone explain to me the candle thing? haha
+Fernand Alejandrino basically, before the guy closes the window 3 of the 10 candles have gone out due to the wind. During the course of the entire night the other 7 remain lit and burn down leaving you with only the three candles that got blown out left intact.
3 candles were blown out so they can't burn anymore so they will stay 3 candles the other 7 stayed lit so now they melt into piles of wax so you only have 3 candles left over
3-3-8 were the numbers i thought of!
I got 9, 4 and 2
Before he said that
me too i got all 3 and im 14
+sai sritharan no you did not
+Xavi Goodman how do you know?
Reminds me of the one riddle where two people were trying to figure out this girl's birthday. She tells one the day and the other the month and gives both a list of possible dates. (May 15, 16, 19, June 17, 18, July 14, 16 August 14, 15 ,17)
The Man who knows the month says "I don't know, but I do know that the other guy doesn't know either.". To which the second guy states "I didn't know before, but I do now!". The first guy then claims "I now know as well.". Assuming no one is lying or wrong, what is the girl's Birthday?
Brian has a maniacal laughter for professional reasons
*Gets them all wrong*
Uhh... fuck these riddles anyway
they just threw in that second riddle because the others were complete bs lmao
XD
at least the first one is *possible* without knowing the house number in the third one (which he didn't say until he gave the answer)
+Bob Wilson you don't need the house number to figure it out...
I mean, I got all 3, no problems.
ok i have three riddles for you guys
John & Emily have 20 dollars to go to the school dance all together, to get in is only $5, but yet they both cant go why not?
A:because there fish
Luke is sleeping in his house late one morning and all the sudden a train goes by. Afterwards Luke is dead on the ground with glass surrounding him. How is this possible?
A: Because he's a fish
Diego is sitting watching the seals when all the sudden he gets thrown in. He's getting eaten alive and nobody does anything, why is this?
A: Because he's a ginger
you took that from theodd1sout
Oh, did HE say that? Could you give me a link please?
+Cameron Pearce I can't give you a link right now because I'm using a tablet
Nathaniel Voegele Come back later then.
+Cameron Pearce just search on TH-cam theodd1sout stupid riddles
Got the last one right (3 3 8) but had to use pen and paper to jot down all the factors of 72 and ways to multiply before eliminating the impossible choices. It's really hard for someone to just do it in their head, but great riddle nonetheless :)
The first riddle doesn't make much sense.
You would only ask for them like that if they were physically joined together, in which case they would likely all cost the same amount (if they were even sold like that).
There would also be no reason for him to ask about 1 and 12.
There are also other options where they are sold in differing amounts and are so cheap that buying just a few is uneconomical.
For example, it could be 20c for a single washer, 40c for a pack of 50 and 60 for a pack of 200.
And who even asks for door numbers like that? They'd either look for them in the store, ask "do you have door numbers here?", or say "can I get a 1 and a 2 please?"
Figured out the first one in about 5 seconds
Well done smarty pants✔️✔️✔️
same
same
I knew of that riddle already
Yeah, it's an oldie, that's for sure. Mindtrap taught me that one.
OMG I GUESSED THE LAST ONE NO JOKE SERIOUSLY :D
There were only 12 possible answers, which means that every one in twelve people who guess the answer would be correct. At the time that I'm making this comment, there have been 788,523 on this video.
788,523/12 = 6571
That means that if EVERYONE guessed the answer, then around 6571 would have gotten it right.
So, good on you for guessing the answer correctly, but it's not that much of an achievement.
+Cameron Pearce Incorrect. Out of all those people there is an astronomically low chance that every single one guessed 3-3-8. Just because he guessed 3-3-8, doesnt mean I have to guess any other combination except 3-3-8 nor do all those people.
DA BODEH No, I didn't say that everyone would guess 3-3-8. I said that if everyone guessed at random, then a twelfth of them would get it right, seeing as there are only twelve answers to choose from.
Since there are 6571 people who could have gotten it right just by guessing, there is an extremely high chance that at least one of them (Colin D) would brag about it.
You stated that every one in twelve people that guessed would be correct and I am simply stating that this is wrong. Cameron Pearce
DA BODEH 1 in 12 is the probability, not the exact sample ratio. I don't know the exact sample size, but I can bet you that it is pretty close to what I calculated.
The eldest daughter was 8, and her younger sisters were both 3.
+Sammy Stiffler I was right! I swear I didn't cheat!
+Sammy Stiffler well done! did you guess, or follow the same logic?
I just picked the first three numbers that came into my head.
The reason they were 3,3, and 8 was because I thought of 3 days is 72 hours so 24 x 3 = 72 | Then I just broke down 24 into 8 x 3.
Don't mess with bored mathematicians, man.
Even if people are twins, there is still an oldest. Otherwise I feel sorry for their mother...
Jason without a beard, this is an atrocity against mankind!
The last one is probably my favorite puzzle that I have found on scam school. Many of them are too easy if you actually work them out (which I know doesn't happen in the bar often) or use themes from other common puzzles that are easily recognizable to somebody who solves lots of puzzles. Others are just impossibly difficult to solve without having seen them before. It just isn't reasonable to assume that anybody could guess the obscure answer out of the blue. This one strikes the perfect balance. It presents a challenge but, it should be possible for anybody who actually spends the time to work it out on paper.
Okay, I paused the video before the last one, and worked in out in my head. Took a few minutes, but it's 8, 3, 3:
The prime factorization of 72 is 2^3 * 3^2, which means the only combinations (and their respective sums) are:
1 + 1 + 72 = 74
1 + 2 + 36 = 39
1 + 3 + 24 = 28
1 + 4 + 18 = 23
1 + 6 + 12 = 19
1 + 8 + 9 = 18
2 + 2 + 18 = 22
2 + 3 + 12 = 17
2 + 4 + 9 = 15
2 + 6 + 6 = 14
3 + 3 + 8 = 14
3 + 4 + 6 = 13
The only one which is indeterminable is 14, which means his daughters are either 3, 3, and 8, or 2, 6, and 6. When the first mathematician says "my ELDEST daughter", it means it can't be 2, 6, and 6 because there *is* no eldest daughter.
And let me tell you, doing all that factoring and adding in my head was a PITA. Pretty cool, though.
ok ima at 6:08 PLZ DONT HATE i think that the "eldest" refers to there actually being an eldest daughter. that means that they're not all the same age. its 2 4 and 9. lets go. or maybe 3 3 and 8.
Haha! I got the daughter riddle right! Not by his process, it was more of a "Well, people don't give babies chocolate, so let's go with three small numbers." So 3, 3, and 8 were the numbers I came up with. Lol, I did *not* do it right.
it's 8, 3 and 3. You know this because the last hint about the eldest liking chocolate makes it clear to the other mathematician. Assuming he knew the the house number that means that the mathematician was debating between two solutions where the ages added up to the number across the street. The hint about the eldest daughter told the mathematician that there were not two oldest daughters. The only combination where there could be two oldest daughters is at 2 6 and 6. These would add up to 14. the only other combination that adds up to 14 is 8, 3 and 3. Therefore, these must be the ages of the daughters.
I didn't get 1, got two, got three but I've seen a video before with that riddle however didn't remember the answers. I got it wrong the first time though. I remembered the chocolate clue meant something about twins. Since I didn't remember the answers, i thought "divide the product by a square number". I instantly though of nine, 72/9=8. The high number is eight. Now the square root of nine is three, so two threes, the twins. 8, 3, 3
I got the first one with ease, the second one is sooo obvious and the last one needed your thinking cap, so I did solve 2 out of 3 and the last one was pretty close, good one, give us more brushwood
The last one requires you to imagine that you know something that you actually do not, because the person who solved the riddle does have that information. The number of the house across the street.
This is because there are only a few sets of 3 numbers which multiply to 72. And, almost all of them add up to a distinct number. (24, 3, and 1 add to 28, and no other grouping that multiplies to 72 does.) Meaning, if it were any other number being added to BUT the one that is the house number, the friend could solve it, but he can't. That number is 14 (8+3+3 or 6+6+2) Once the man revealed that there is a child who is distinctly the "oldest" (as in, an age numerically greater than that either sibling) you are left with only the possibility of 8+3+3.
Outside the realm of puzzles, you would have no candles left because the house burned down
Boom got the 3rd one, because the first mathematician knows the answer it means that he has eliminated all possibilities by the time the 2nd hint is told, except for some specific set of numbers that are giving double (or maybe more) solutions. This means that the only 3 numbers that work are 2 6 6 and 3 3 8 from the 1st hint. The 3rd hint gives 2 hints, it tells that there cannot be any twins and because the second mathematician now has enough information, he had already got most of the information by the time the 2nd hint was told.
it's 3 3 and 8
first rule: multiply to 72
second rule: house number across the street has to be even or odd. adding up to odd has many cases that satisfy the conditions, but there is only one right answer, so it can't be odd. it has to add up to even so it can be either 3 3 and 8 or 2 6 and 6
third rule: eldest likes chocolate, so there can only be one eldest, so 2 6 and 6 doesn't work, so only 3 3 and 8 is left
The first riddle really got me, the second one I figured the answer. For the 3rd one I heard a similar riddle (the product was 36) so was easy to figure it out, because I already knew how. What I don't like in the 3rd riddle is that regardless if the girls are twins or not, one of them is older than the other. Even if is just a few minutes.
OK so here's how I look at the last one.
There are 12 ways that whole number ages can multiply to 72
[1,1,72], [1,2,36], [1,3,24], [1,4,18], [1,6,12] , [1,8,9], [2,2,18], [2,3,12], [2,4,9],[2,6,6], [3,3,8], [3,4,6]
Since he cannot tell from the number across the street he the sum of the ages must not be unique [2,6,6] and [3,3,8] are the only sets that share a sum (14)
Given that the clue given is that there's an eldest we'll assume he means eldest as in a unique age and [3,3,8] is the set.
I didn't get number one, my best guess was nuts or bolts as they come in odd quantities vs their price.
Number 2 I got before the guy even said anything.
Number 3, is an odd math puzzle
1) a*b*c = 72
2) a+b+c = something
3) One of them is older than the others
4) A hidden fact is that their age must be a whole positive number
5) Extra hidden fact, you know that with the first two facts it cannot be solved, so there must be two sums that have the same value, which would be the number on the house. The "This is impossible to solve", is a key point to the story.
So first you have to start with all the products for 72.
72=2*4*9; 72 = 2*3*12; 72 = 3*3*8; 72 = 2*2*18; 72 = 6 *6 * 2
2+4+9=15; 2+3+12=17; 3+3+8=14; 2+2+18=22; 6+6+2=14
So the answer must be 3, 3, and 8.
Okay, Third one:
The product of their ages is 72. The prime factorization of 72 is 2x2x2x3x3. So, you could get girls who are (2,4,9), (2, 6, 6), (2, 2, 18), (3, 3, 8) (2, 3, 12)...I can't see any more. They could also be (1, 1, 72) but I doubt it.
The sum of their ages being the house across the street--let's do the sum of their ages. 2+4+9+=15, 2+6+6=14, 2+2+18=22, 3+3+8=14, 2+3+12=17.
The cartoon riddle mathematician (in riddles like this, CRMs have the ability to instantly know if they do or do not have enough information) doesn't have enough information until the statement "The eldest daughter likes chocolate." I have a feeling that the word "eldest" is significant, and "chocolate" is a misdirection. "Eldest" suggests that the one with the highest age is singular. That eliminates (2,6,6). I notice that two of the combinations above had a sum of 14, one of which is (2,6,6), which we've just eliminated, so it's the other one, (3,3,8).
Hot damn, I solved all of them!
I GOT THE LAST ONE RIGHT!! See, I knew I was a genius. Ya just gotta keep that guessing instinct active.
I literally spent 5mins writing out all the factors of 72, the 3 digit combos and their sums, found out only 2 combos had the same sum and that only one combo had an eldest child (ie not twins). It took time but I got the right answer. Not so much a riddle as it is a wordy math problem.
Just because you have two children that are the same "age" doesn't mean one isn't older than the other - in any first grade class there will be multiple 5-yr-olds, and it's highly unlikely no one is older than the rest. Also, there is no indication that the second mathematician knows the street address of the house across the street, given the information in the question, so you can't automatically ascribe this to his reasoning of not knowing the answer any more than there just being too many possibilities.
#1 Metal numerals
#2 Can't really tell since you don't know how long the candles burn, but let's say 10 will be left in some form.
#3 First answer I came up with is 1, 8, 9 that fits all 3 clues because the product is 72 and it is reasonable to believe that the a 9 years old girl would love chocolate. The house number across the street means nothing, since we don't even know if it is even or odd. Of course, you didn't say that two weren't twins so it could be 3, 3 and 8 that also fits all 3 clues. So, for that matter would 1, 6, 12. The fact that the eldest likes chocolate doesn't mean that she doesn't have a twin sister. Since twins are not born on the same second and if you as any set of twin which is the eldest, most will be able to tell you. So that explanation given at the end is bogus, 2, 6,6 fits all the clues also.
They could have definitely done the mathematician's daughter one without pen and paper. Realising that the mathematician was unsure before hearing that there was an eldest, forces there to be a square number in one of the possibilities, i.e twins, whose age are older than the 3rd daughter. The only square numbers that are factors of 72 are: 36 (6*6*2), 9 (3*3*8), 4 (2*2*18), and 1 (1,1,72). But since you need the twins to be older, you can almost instantly deduce that they are 6 (you don't need to check every square number factor), meaning that the sum and therefore the house number is 14. Then it's just a matter of finding the only other set that sums to 14. You know that there is only one other possible combination because knowing there is an eldest is enough to solve the problem, and (6,6,2) was the only combination without an eldest. Finding 3+3+8 is easy after that.
I couldn't work out the 3rd riddle because I suck at math but I was convinced that the guy from the 3rd riddle was the one who bought the house numbers.
I haven't heard the answer to the 3rd riddle yet, BUT, I think the answer is 3, 3, and 8... This is because only that combination and 2, 6, and 6 equal 18. Therefore if you can rule out one (because there are not older twins) it must be the other. Right?
My girlfriend and I came to the conclusion of 3, 3, 8 as well but for a reason I haven't heard mentioned.
"The eldest daughter loves chocolATE"
We took it as a hint to the number 8, which eliminated basically all other combos.
I got as far as Brian and just guess 3, 3 and 8 without any reasoning to back it up.
It's a good riddle.
I have already heard riddle 2 before, and I got riddle 3, but riddle 1 stumped me!
about the third puzzle...another tricky clue is that it can't be solved without the 3rd clue.
so you can kinda assume that one number will be square(9=3x3) and another will be a larger no. (8)
First puzzle was crazy...couldn't figure out that one.
I found the third to be the easiest. The first two require abstract thinking, but the third one is pretty straightforward and very similar to most of the math logic puzzles that circulate.
I heard the first two before.
Last one...
“The eldest daughter loves chocolate.” This tells us that the largest number isn’t a twin.
“The sum of their ages is the number of the house across the street... impossible to tell.”
There must be two answers with a twin, and hence the one with one larger number instead of one smaller is the solution.
So let’s find the Prime factors. 72/2 = 36. /2 = 18. /2 = 9. And /3 =3.
Here, we have two 2’s, two 3’s, and a spare 2. The twins can be 1, 2, 3, or 6.
Since the eldest loves chocolate, it can’t be 6. But since we infer the sum works with 6, we have a solution of 6+6+2=14.
The remaining siblings (with two twins) that work are 3+3+8.
I solved all three! After a bit of thinking though. The third riddle, I got the right answer but the wrong way, I thought since there's no way to know the number of the house the numbers "spelled" out a word and got 833 or "BEE when they're turned upside down. Got it right by coincidence :3
LEGIT I WAS RIGHT ON THE THIRD ONE! NO JOKE! (wasn't confident that I was right for that reason, but I was right!)
I couldn't get the first one, the second was easy I'm sure a lot of people got it but the third one that was meant to be most difficult I got instantly. In less than a second. Easy.
Answer to riddle 1: house numbers? 1-2-2; each number costs 20 cents.
Answer to riddle 2: hmm, it would still have to be 10 candles even though 7 are melted? Or 3 whole candles?
Answer to riddle 3: The last line indicates that all three daughters are not the same age since she is referred to as the eldest? Didn't get this one.
I solved them all. I factored out 72, then did the calculation on what would tie up two eldest. Then I did the calculation for what would add up to 14 with the first two being different.
First two were simple, but I work at a hardware distribution centre ;) . The last one a little trickier. My favourite riddle is... There is a lightbulb in an attic. Downstairs, where you cannot see the light from the attic, there are 3 switches. One operates the light, while the other two do not. You can switch the lightswitches however you wish, but can only go to the attic once, then you must say which switch operates the lightbulb. How would you do it? Oh, I will throw this in there. You are completely naked, so no you do not have a multi tool in your pocket, and if you do have a multi tool with you, I really do not want to know about it LOL.
+quedorf flip one for 15 seconds, turn it off and then flip another. The bulb is either on, warm, or cold, giving you the answer?
+Scam School Absolutely. Didn't take you very long at all :)
+quedorf My favorite one: A bear wakes up, walks 10 miles South, 10 miles East and 10 miles North, thus returning to the starting point. What color is the bear?
+adb012 white
+Eli Lund Right :) The riddle as it is is interesting because the question about the color of the bear usually startles people because it seems so disconnected from the data provided. But it becomes mathematically more interesting when you remove the bear and you wonder if the bear's starting point is the only one that would meet the path requirements.
Video paused at 7:00 while I type this.
72 factors into 1*2*2*2*3*3
Using these numbers we get the following list of possibilities for the house number
1+1+72=74
1+2+36=39
1+3+24=28
1+4+18=23
1+6+12=19
1+8+9=18
2+2+18=22
2+3+12=17
2+4+9=15
2+6+6=14
3+3+8=14
3+4+6=13
Since the we know that the 2nd mathematician knows the house number but couldn't solve the riddle at first, we know the solution is not unique. The only house number with more than one solution is 14, with the possibilities of the ages being either 2 6 6 or 3 3 8.
With the added information that the eldest loves chocolate we learn that there is an eldest, ie the eldest is not a twin, therefore the ages of the children are 3 3 and 8 and the house number is 14.
+Nathan L Well, now that I've seen the rest of the video I feel silly for actually explaining it when he does the same thing.
+Nathan L that was actually pretty fantastic. Well done.
Scam School
Thanks.
For the record I got the 2nd riddle too but not the first.
Haha That last one is a famous puzzle. The really important bit is the impossible/possible distinction. You end up with multiple 'possibilities', and if we didn't know that it MUST have an answer after the third clue, it wouldn't be solvable.
In an alternate reality where Jason solved the second riddle, Modern Rogue is co-hosted with Mike.
EVERYONE LOVES CHOCOLATE! that's why they're all 24, kind a tricky indeed
+Floris Hazewinkel product is multiplying not adding
I only damn well got the 3rd one. Damn...I am so pumped for myself. I definitely paused, I definitely sat for a while with some mental jogging and a calculator, it would have made for bad TV, but I damn well got it. Hell yeah!
I very quickly got the fact that there had to be 2 number sets that add up to the same number, 1 of which had to have a tie in the higher number ... but for some reason I kept missing 2-6-6 as an option until I just sat down and started plotting every solution. After it was obvious that 72 didn't divide by 16 or 25...I stopped trying squares higher than 9. That hung me up for a while.
I might have seen this years ago I honestly don't remember but for the last riddle I had the gist of it after some thought I just didn't bother writing every possible product to find the exact answer but I knew what the clues represented.