2/05/2005

One more puzzle for the day

This I am posting deliberately in English, as I am tired. It is already 00=57 hrs here in Chennai.

Three friends Ram, Shyam and Arun go to the coffee shop. Each of them orders one cup of coffee. The waiter brings the 3 cups of coffee along with a bowl containing sugar cubes. Each of them puts an odd number of sugar cubes in his cup and the total number of sugar cubes for the 3 of them together is 12. Can you give the distribution?

Remember, no one takes zero number of cubes. No breaking of cubes. Each has taken an odd number of sugar cubes.

Regards,
N.Raghavan

7 comments:

enRenRum-anbudan.BALA said...

Ram, Shyam, Arun and the Waiter each puts 3 (odd number) sugar cubes in the cups (making it actually 4 cubes per cup) totalling to 12 cubes for 4 persons.
enRenRum anbudan
BALA

dondu(#11168674346665545885) said...

Sorry Bala. The waiter just brings the coffee and leaves. Only these 3 people put the odd number of sugar cubes in their respective cups.

Regards,
Dondu Raghavan

enRenRum-anbudan.BALA said...

One more TRY!
Can I say that each of the 3 persons put 3(odd) cubes initially (totalling 9) that is followed by each putting 1(odd) more cube(totalling 3) thus getting a final tally of 12 cubes? Still I have some lingering doubt :-)
enRenRum anbudan
BALA

dondu(#11168674346665545885) said...

My dear Bala,
Persistent? Good. But again no to your suggestion. One clue I will give now.
A person like me waxing eloquent about writing in Tamil in these blogs is writing this alone in English.
Regards,
Dondu Raghavan

பினாத்தல் சுரேஷ் said...

of them puts an odd number of sugar cubes in his cup -- I think the clue lies here! sariya mama?

dondu(#11168674346665545885) said...

At the outset it should be seen that what I am asking for is a mathematical impossibility. Three odd numbers can never result in an even number. So the solution lies elsewhere. Now there is the clue that I have posted in English. It will be clear as I give the solution.

Ram puts one sugar cube in his cup, Shyam puts one sugar cube in his whereas Arun puts ten cubes. And you would surely agree that putting ten cubes of sugar into one cup of coffee is quite odd you know!

Ha ha ha!!

Regards,
N.Raghavan

enRenRum-anbudan.BALA said...

Sir,
At best, this can be called as a good 'kadi' joke but does not qualify as a puzzle, I suppose!!!
(OR)
you must have worded it something like
" The number of sugar cubes each puts in his cup is odd"
instead of telling
//of them puts an odd number of sugar cubes in his cup //
Is it because you typed in the "puzzle" late in the night????
enRenRum anbudan,
BALA

 

Listed in tamizmaNam.com, where bloggers and readers meet :: தமிழ்மணம்.காம்-ல் பட்டியலிடப்பட்டு, திரட்டப்படுகிறது