Tmk89 asked:
Thirteen teachers are in Paradox, New York attending a math
conference. When they arrive at the Enigma Hotel to check in, they are told that only 12 rooms are available. Since their school had made reservations for 13 rooms, the teachers are a bit upset that they will have to find another place to stay. As they are preparing to leave and find another hotel, the manager comes out and asks if there is a problem. When she hears of their situation she assures them that the Enigma Hotel has enough space to accommodate each teacher in his or her own room. She takes two of the teachers to room #1 and promises to come back in a few minutes and take one of them to another room. She takes the third teacher to room #2, the fourth teacher to room #3, the fifth teacher to room #4 and so on, taking the twelfth teacher to room #11. She then returns to room #1 and escorts the extra teacher waiting there to room #12. All of the teachers are now happily settled in their own rooms. Is this possible? Why or why not?
Can anyone figure out this riddle about math teachers?
February 14th, 2010 | Escorts
10 comments ↓
No. It said there are thirteen teachers but there are only 12 in rooms.
when i wrote it out on paper it showed it was possible. because 2 teachers start out in a room in a way it illiminates counting an extra one
It won’t work because she is taking the 12th teacher to room #11. She then takes the 13th teacher to room #12. So teacher 1 and 2 are stuck in room #1.
The problem is “she takes the 12th teacher to room #11. She still has the 13th teacher left.
1st room had 2 teachers -and room #2 – #11 had 1 teacher and then there was room#12 empty so a teacher from the 1st room was moved to room #12 = the teachers messed up there math and miscounted # of rooms needed or 1 teacher didn’t show-up !
No it is not, here is why.
When you move the second teacher out of the first room into the twelfth room, it is no longer the second teacher, moving all of the them up 1. Understand? Probably not, I’ll explain more.
Room Teacher (before moving) Room Teacher (after moving)
1 1&2 1 1
2 3 2 3
3 4 3 4
4 5 4 5
And So On And So On
11 12 11 12
12 2
It just seems like it works because of the setup of the question, hopefully I explained it enough. You can see how there isn’t 13 teachers in the rooms.
(Hmmm, there was a problem with my table I made when I was posting this. Hopefully it didn’t screw up so bad that you couldn’t tell what it was trying to say.)
First two teachers are taken to room#1 and rest of all get one room each.
Point to be noted that of the first two teachers taken to room #1, one is taken to another, this room is not numbered as yet.
So it is possible, twelve teachers in Room# 1 to 12 and one teacher in another room.
there has to be a 13th room somewhere but it doesnt HAVE to be 13 consecutive rooms… does it?…
She takes two of the teachers to room #1 and promises to come back in a few minutes and take one of them to another room.
AND
She then returns to room #1 and escorts the extra teacher waiting there to room #12.
not possible for 1 person to get 2 rooms
its a trick its says the third teacher to room #2 making you call the first two teachers 1&2
as you transfer teacher 2 to room twelve you either eliminate number 2 or 13 essentially eliminating a teacher look the answer is in the skip between 1 and 3 once your done moving them
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
teacher 2 is missing because now your calling it 13
or if you keep it as 2 when you move it you still only have 12 people
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2
no, it isn’t possible
the third teacher went to room 2 thus we can assume that the 2 teachers in first room are the first and second teacher.
Then she takes the twelfth teacher to the room #11 and the first (or second) teacher to room 12#.
Notice here that the THIRTEENTH TEACHER IS NEVER MENTIONED, thus the thirteenth teacher never got the room.
The trick to the question it making you assume that the “extra teacher” is the thirteenth teacher, when it is actually the first or the second.
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