HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dseal@armltd.co.uk (David Seal)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: A probability problem
Date: 30 Sep 92 12:46:13 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: A.R.M. Ltd, Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambs, UK

In article <1992Sep29.172332.9336@cetia.fr> frank@guiness.cetia.fr (Frank
O'Neil) writes:

>I read this in a book (along with an answer) and don't know about the
>answer they gave. I won't quote their answer, as I would like to see
>if you agree with them or not. (I pray this is not a FAQ and I will
>not get flamed for it, but here goes) :
>
>Assuming the following :
>
>1) Julius Caesar expelled about 2.2 * 10^22 molecules of air in crying
>   "Tu quoique filli" 2000 years ago.
>
>2) The vast majority [read "all"] of those molecules are still around
>   (i.e. have not combined with acid rain to make quicklime or somesuch).
>
>3) 2000 years is long enough that they are evenly distributed in the 
>   atmosphere (which contains approx 10^44 molecules)
>
>Q : What is the probability you just breathed in one of the molecules
>    Julius Caesar expelled ??

I think the intended answer is that it is approximately:

  1 - Pr(I didn't breath in such an molecule)

  = 1 - Pr(Every molecule I breathed in was not one that Julius Caesar
           expelled),

  i.e. roughly 1 - (1 - (2.2*10^22)/(10^44))^(2.2*10^22),

  i.e. roughly 1 - e^(-(2.2*10^22) * (2.2*10^22)/(10^44)), using the fact
       that (1-1/N)^N is approximately e^(-1) for large N,

  i.e. roughly 1 - e^(-4.4)

or about a 99% chance.

However, I suspect it's really close to 0, because I'd be surprised if
assumption (2) was true. Anyone got any data on the rate of turnover of
oxygen molecules in the atmosphere?

David Seal
dseal@armltd.co.uk

All opinions are mine only...
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: sb102760@ntuvax.ntu.ac.sg
Subject: An ancient Chinese puzzle
Organization: Nanyang Technological University - Singapore
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 02:38:24 GMT


	Here's an ancient Chinese puzzle:

	During the end of Eastern Han Dynasty, warlords rule over different
	parts of China. The strongest was Cao Cao who held the Imperial family
	and most of Imperial authority (de facto ruler)

	One day, he received an gift from foreign envoys : an elephant. Being
	a creature not native to China, it became the subject of much
	speculation, one which was on its weight.

	Curious, Cao Cao decided to find out. Alas, no weighing scales were
	found suitable though his men searched the entire palace, forge,
	kitchens, workshops etc etc. Undaunted, Cao Cao threw the problem
	open to the court, wanting to see if any has a talent for solving
	unconventional problems. 

	Unfortunately, none of his courtiers, generals or ministers could
	come up with a solution. The problem was only solved later by his
	ten year old son Cao Chong.

	Question is	:	How did Cao Chong do it ?
				Perhaps the solution is not unique, so okay,
				how would you do it ?
	Conditions	:	Elephant is full grown (probably from India or
				Siam)
				Elephant must remain the same, very much
unharmed.
				No complicated/sophisticated solution please.

ET.
From: dwr2560@zeus.tamu.edu (RING, DAVID WAYNE)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Minimal Pairs (SPOILER)
Date: 30 Sep 92 17:18:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: zeus.30SEP199212181822
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Joe Miller writes:
>> Can you find a minimal pair for /TH/ (hard "th") and /th/ (soft "th").

How about lather?

Dave Ring
dwr2560@zeus.tamu.edu
From: imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Brown/Blue eyes (SPOILER!)
Date: 28 Sep 92 13:50:50 GMT
Organization: Oxford University Computing Laboratory, UK
X-Local-Date: BST
Originator: imc@msc2.comlab

In article <26SEP199222132459@zeus.tamu.edu>, dwr2560@zeus.tamu.edu (RING, DAVID WAYNE) wrote:

>So what happens if he says "At least 400 of you are blue-eyed"?

>Hint: On the 101'th day the brown-eye's are all visibly relieved. :-)

It depends whether a brown-eyed person is allowed (or obliged) to say "I'm
brown-eyed" (by words or by a facial expression).  If he is, then you are
correct and the next day all the blue-eyed people will kill themselves.  If
she isn't, then I don't think anything will happen at all.

Hmm, an interesting reverse to the original problem. :-)  [perhaps an
isomorphism between the two exists!]

Ian Collier
Ian.Collier@prg.ox.ac.uk | imc@ecs.ox.ac.uk
From: robertw@informix.com (Robert Weinberg)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Astronomy: farther = closer
Date: 6 Oct 92 19:50:26 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Sep29.130519@IASTATE.EDU> macster@IASTATE.EDU (Michael C Mccarty)  
writes:
> In article <2492.imc@uk.ac.ox.prg>, imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier) writes:
>  
>in a sense, it is possible to tell what
> > is moving and what is not.
> > 
> 
> I disagree.


I have always been a bit bothered by the apparent non-relativity of the  
"rotationality" of a system. It's pretty easy to tell, without any external  
reference, whether the system one is part of is rotating or not by simply tossing a  
ball into the distance and noting its trajectory.

If one does not go to the trouble of thinking up some complex forces to account for  
the fact that the ball either flies either straight or in an arc, one can  
immediately observe that one's system is either moving or not rotationally.

From that, one can observe distant objects and tell whether they are orbiting one's  
own system, or whether it is one's own system that is rotating. It apparently  
cannot be said that the choice is arbitrary or relative.
--
+================================+================================+
|         Rob Weinberg           |  Workstation publications tech |
|   Email : robertw@informix.com |        Graphic designer        |
|   Voice : 415-926-6754         |     <imagine your ad here>     |
+================================+================================+
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: blum@news.ils.nwu.edu (Daniel Blum)
Subject: Packing problem
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 02:06:47 GMT

A few years ago, this puzzle appeared in the newsletter of the company
I was working for:

   Given an infinitely long rectangular strip which is two units wide,
and circles with diameters of one unit, one can pack them in parallel
rows of two, like so:
                      _____________________________
                      |oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
                      |oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
                      -----------------------------
However, there is a more efficient packing.  What is it?

Unfortunately, I left the company before the solution was given, and
as fas as _I_ can see, there is no solution.  Any ideas?  
(Note: I assumed that "more efficient," or whatever the exact original
phrase was [definitely similar] means that the ratio of covered to
uncovered area is higher than that of the "obvious" packing - I can't
think of what else it COULD mean.)


--
_____________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum           Institute for the Learning Sciences   Room 327
blum@ils.nwu.edu   1890 Maple Ave., Evanston, IL 60201   708-467-2306

"By the power vested in me by my own over-inflated ego, I now 
 declare this bridge officially open."
_____________________________________________________________________

Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: deghare@daisy.uwaterloo.ca (Dave Hare)
Subject: Re: One Vowel...  Two Syllables
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 15:58:56 GMT

In article <1992Sep26.020400.27600@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rad2r@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU (Robert DeLine) writes:
>In article <Bv3uHu.EGF@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>, deghare@daisy.uwaterloo.ca (Dave Hare) writes:
>> Seriously, though, many people pronounce "film" with 2 syllables.
>
>Several people have mentioned this now.  I've never actually
>heard the word "film" pronounce with more than one syllable.
>Can someone give me an idea what the two syllables sound
>like?  (Email would be fine.)
>
>Thanks.


"fil-um".  My mother pronounces it this way, and it has always irritated
me :-)

This is the major problem with "puzzles" of this type: There is no such thing
as the "right" way to pronounce words.

Dave Hare
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles,sci.math
From: macster@IASTATE.EDU (Michael C Mccarty)
Subject: Re: QUEUEING
Reply-To: macster@IASTATE.EDU (Michael C Mccarty)
Organization: Iowa State University
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 17:56:02 GMT

In article <1992Sep23.084022.12135@nmt.edu>, dgray@nmt.edu (Dorian Gray)
writes:
> 
> I could only find three four-vowels-in-a-row words in /usr/dict/words:
>   aqueous
>   Hawaiian
>   obsequious
> 
> The second is obviously a throw-out, being a proper name.
> 
> 
> I found eleven six-consonants-in-a-row words in /usr/dict/words:
>   asynchronous
>   asynchrony
>   diethylstilbestrol
>   encryption
>   klystron
>   rhythmic
>   skyscrape
>   synchronism
>   synchronous
>   synchrony
>   synchrotron

Unfortunately, all of the above words contain 'y' in the consonant string.  'Y'
is popularly considered as both a vowel and a consonant, depending on its usage.
In this situation, I would have to say that it is used as a vowel. 
 
> Regards,
> Dorian Gray
> dgray@nmt.edu


					Mike

PS I am not an English major, nor will I ever claim to be, so don't flame me for
any petty semantical or grammatical mistakes I may have maid. :^)
Date: Wednesday, 30 Sep 1992 19:26:55 EST
From: <RVESTERM@vma.cc.nd.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Attribute Puzzles
 <1992Sep24.235507.13979@serval.net.wsu.edu>
 <1992Sep27.065122.1758@techbook.com> <BvEto8.Cwp@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca>

regarding "non-self-contained":

       bzzzzt.  what use is a stapler without staples? a calculator
       without a battery?

my guess is that the first list is things that you stick in other things.
key->keyhole bookmark->book... i forget the others.  but they all conform,
with the possible exception of "yeast" (it's a bit of a stretch to say you
stick yeast in pre-beer or pre-bread).
From: russotto@eng.umd.edu (Matthew T. Russotto)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: One Vowel...  Two Syllables
Date: 27 Sep 92 18:41:14 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

In article <19re13INNsm5@gap.caltech.edu> kanga.caltech.edu!rmjarvis (Robert Michael Jarvis) writes:
>Here is one of my favorite word puzzles, and I don't think it is in the
>FAQL.  (At least, I couldn't find it.):
>
>Name a common two-syllable English word which has only one vowel.
>
>(N.B.  'y' counts as a vowel when so used.)
>
>I only know of one answer to this, although there certainly could be 
>others.  I haven't done any kind of a thorough search.  

There are none, by definition.  Any word with two syllables definitely
has two vowel sounds.

"Rhythm" could be the word you are thinking of, with the 'y' prononced
as short-i and a schwa with no letter associated with it between the
'th' and the 'm'.  My dictionary lists no pronounciation for 'rhythm'.

-- 
Matthew T. Russotto	russotto@eng.umd.edu	russotto@wam.umd.edu
Some news readers expect "Disclaimer:" here.
Just say NO to police searches and seizures.  Make them use force.
(not responsible for bodily harm resulting from following above advice)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: Dave Dodson <dodson@convex.COM>
Subject: Re: Diameter of earth?
Originator: dodson@bach.convex.com
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 18:12:27 GMT
Reply-To: dodson@convex.COM (Dave Dodson)
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In article <1992Oct3.163947.17166@hellgate.utah.edu> tolman%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Kenneth Tolman) writes:
>  How can you measure the diameter of the earth, using everyday tools
>that a typical person would have access to?  This means MEASURE, not look
>up the answer someone else determined.  I want to measure the diameter of
>the earth, and if some other people did to we could compare answers!

I think the easiest method would be to measure the Earth's shadow on
the moon during a lunar eclipse.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave Dodson		                             dodson@convex.COM
Convex Computer Corporation      Richardson, Texas      (214) 497-4234
From: s2874066@techst02.technion.ac.il (Eyal Peleg)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: meta-puzzles
Date: 6 Oct 92 21:29:45 GMT
Reply-To: s2874066@techst02.technion.ac.il (Eyal Peleg)
Organization: Technion, Israel Inst. of Technology

there are 4 combinations of true values that are logical together
1) all true - silver opens door 1 for twinkies
2) i true ii,iii false - silver opens door 2 for twinkies
3) ii true i,iii false - gold opens door 2 for twinkies
4) iii true i,ii flase - gold opens door 2 for twinkies

the fact that knowing if there are more trues than falses 
implies that (1) is not the case

now the doctor was given the true value of a statment (we dont know which)
and knew what is the correct sollution
all of 2 3 4 can be correct if the doctor was told that that i, ii or iii
is true respectively 
and he would have known.
BUT ITS NOT ENGOUH FOR US

i would be happy to get another solution that does get to a conclusion
about the correct combination

eyal peleg
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: ss1@kepler.unh.edu (The Rink)
Subject: yes/no question puzzles
Organization: Turkey Hall
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 02:08:10 GMT


I can't remember the name of the things, but I'm sure you all know what I'm
talking about.  Those puzzles where you tell certain things about a situation,
and the other people have to ask yes/no questions to answer some particular
question...usually, "What happened?"

I saw a humongous list of these here on rec.puzzles once last year.  Could
somebody email it to me, at ss1@kepler.unh.edu...?

Thanks in advance!
-- 
\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/
/\     Samuel Stoddard                                ss1@kepler.unh.edu     <>
><                                                                           /\
\/      "Savior and Destroyer, Mirror of Life and Death."--Terry Brooks      ><
<>                      "No.  There is another."--Yoda                       \/
/\ "So why don't you make like a tree, and get out of here!"--Biff  (BTTF 1) <>
><                                                                           /\
\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/<\>/
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles,sci.math
From: karr@cs.cornell.edu (David Karr)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Diameter of earth?
Date: 5 Oct 92 23:58:12 GMT
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853

In article <ld0et6INNesn@news.bbn.com> ncramer@labs-n.bbn.com (Nichael Cramer) writes:
>The version I've always heard is that one of his spots happened to be
>located smack on the Tropic of Cancer.  So that at exactly one time (i.e.
>noon) on exactly one day of the year (i.e. the Summer Solstice) the sun
>shown all the way to the bottom of the local well.

The Tropic of Cancer runs across the lower corner of Libya, across the
southern frontier of Egypt, and then across the middle of the Arabian
peninsula.  Seems pretty far south for a Greek philosopher to have
ventured.  Greece is all above the 35th parallel; the Tropic is at
23.5 degrees.

On the other hand, it may be that what you wrote is exactly what
happened.  What's the source of your story?

-- David Karr (karr@cs.cornell.edu)
From: imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Minimal Pairs
Date: 30 Sep 92 12:59:05 GMT
Organization: Oxford University Computing Laboratory, UK
X-Local-Date: Wednesday, 30th September 1992 at 1:58pm BST
Originator: imc@msc3.comlab

In article <1992Sep29.211329.18317@wam.umd.edu>, faust@wam.umd.edu (...joe miller...) wrote:
>Can you find a minimal pair for /TH/ (hard "th") and /th/ (soft "th").  In
>other words, can you find two distinct words which are pronounce the same
>except that one has a hard "th" and the other a soft "th".

(Incidentally, why is it called a "minimal" pair?  That might suggest they
have to be small words, or something...)

What about...

thy (your, archaic) and thigh
thou (you, archaic) and thou (.001 inch, colloquial).

Ian Collier
Ian.Collier@prg.ox.ac.uk | imc@ecs.ox.ac.uk
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader)
Subject: New, obscure number sequence puzzle...
Followup-To: poster
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 92 08:54:53 GMT

561, 1105, 1729, 2465, ?

This is why the number 1729 is *even more* interesting than Ramanujan
knew.  Responses directed to email, of course.  Answer will be posted
within a few days, by me if not by somebody else.
-- 
Mark Brader				"It's easier to deal with 'opposite
SoftQuad Inc., Toronto			 numbers' when you know you cannot
utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com		 trust them."		-- Chess

This article is in the public domain.
From: bultman@dgw.rws.nl (G.W.Bultman)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Solution 1-26 (ascii)
Date: 6 Oct 1992 08:29:33 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Puzzle: 

Make the numbers 1-26 using only 2's and 6's and the operators
+,-,*,/,!,sqrt and ** (exponentiation).
An extra conditon is that for each number an *equal* number of 2's and 
6's must be used.

Solution:

 1: \frac{26}{26}                 14:  26-6*2           
 2: \sqrt{6-2}                    15:  6*2+\frac{6}{2} 
 3: \frac{6}{2}                   16:  6+6+2+2             
 4: 6-2                           17:  \frac{6*6-2}{2}
 5: 2+2+\frac{6}{6}               18:  26-6-2              
 6: \sqrt{6^2}                    19:  \frac{26}{2}+6      
 7: 6-2+\frac{6}{2}               20:  6*2+6+2        
 8: 6 + 2                         21:  22-\frac{6}{6}      
 9: \frac{6*6}{2*2}               22:  22+6-6              
10: 22-6-6                        23:  22+\frac{6}{6}      
11: 6+6-\frac{2}{2}               24:  (6-2)!              
12: 6*2                           25:  \frac{62}{2}-6      
13: 6+6+\frac{2}{2}               26:  26                  

Remarks:

In choosing the `best' solutions, the solution with the least
number of digits always `won'; when tied, the solution using the least 
number of operators was preferred; in case of another tie, the solution 
with the least complex operators was chosen. 
Required brackets were counted as one operator:
(6/2)! has 3 operators (couting the brackets), (6-2)+6/2 also has 3 operators.

The solution for 15 (JvdL) using the binomial operator is noted, but discarded.

Contributors:

Hans Braker, <witajgb@dutinfh.tudelft.nl>
Janneke v.d. Linden, <linden@dgw.rws.nl>
Michael Maciolek, <mikem@ll.mit.edu>
T. Steidten, <Steidten@mathematik.tu-chemnitz.de>
Gert Bultman, <bultman@dgw.rws.nl>

From: Matt.Williams@p5.f869.n800.z3.fidonet.org (Matt Williams)
Sender: acsnet@csource.oz.au
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: fancy a game??
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 13:58:02 +1000

G'day Sven,

 >> Fancy a game of tic-tac-toe?

 > Sure.

 >>  O | O | O
 >> -----------
 >>  O | X | O
 >> -----------
 >>  O | O | O

 > I won. You're too slow, mate!

Hmmm loser :-)

Cheers Matt

 * Origin: The Asylum (3:800/869.5)

Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: macster@IASTATE.EDU (Michael C Mccarty)
Subject: Re: Astronomy: farther = closer
Reply-To: macster@IASTATE.EDU (Michael C Mccarty)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 18:05:19 GMT

In article <2492.imc@uk.ac.ox.prg>, imc@comlab.ox.ac.uk (Ian Collier) writes:
 
> A precise measurement of the cosmic background radiation will show that,
> although it is very smooth, it varies continuously between one direction in
> which it is hottest, and the opposite direction in which it is coolest.
> This is due to the doppler shift induced by the Earth's motion relative to
> the cosmic background radiation.  So in a sense, it is possible to tell what
> is moving and what is not.
> 

I disagree.  You are begging the question by assuming that again the Earth is
moving.  Suppose that I theorize that the Earth is motionless and the universe
(along with cosmic background radiation) is rotating around it (and, more or
less, through it) in such a manner that would give the illusion to an Earthling
observer that the Earth is moving.  Can you disprove my theory?

NOTE: Doppler shift only occurs when there is RELATIVE motion between two
objects.
From: lbaum@atc.boeing.com (Larry Baum)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Most anagrams
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:46:25 GMT
Organization: Boeing Computer Services

In article <kelB9kK00UhWE41=g9@andrew.cmu.edu> ss8c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Simon
Szykman) writes:
>How about:
>    stop spot opts pots post tops
>
>                            - Simon
>

stale steal slate teals tales least tesla stela
From: faust@wam.umd.edu (...joe miller...)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Minimal Pairs
Date: 29 Sep 92 21:13:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: wam.1992Sep29.211329.18317
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park

My linguistics book defines a Minimal Pair as a pair of words which meet the
following requirements:
  (1) They have the same number of phonemes.
  (2) Their pronunciation differs in only one position.
  (3) They have different meanings.
For example {pear, bear} or {cab, cap} are both minimal pairs for /p/ and /b/.

***Puzzle***
Can you find a minimal pair for /TH/ (hard "th") and /th/ (soft "th").  In
other words, can you find two distinct words which are pronounce the same
except that one has a hard "th" and the other a soft "th".
***Puzzle***

In case it is not common knowledge:
  /TH/ is voiced (meaning you use your vocal cords in creating the sound).  It
       occurs in words like "that", "rather", and "bathe".  It is called a
       hard "th".
  /th/ in unvoiced.  It is found in the words "thin", "bath", and "faith".  It
       is called a soft "th".

I have found a few examples which I will post when the mood strikes me.

faust@wam.umd.edu						...joe...