Literary Digest 2
A bookworm eats it way through a ten volume encyclopedia set on a bookshelf. Including the covers each of which are 2 mm thick, each volume is 5 cm thick. The bookworm starts at page 1 of volume 1 and makes its way through to the higher numbered volumes until it emerges from volume 10. Whilst partaking of this edible edification, how far did the bookworm travel?
Assume the bookworm goes in a straight line perpendicular to the covers and pages. Don't sweat it as to how the bookworm got to the starting point.
Assume the bookworm goes in a straight line perpendicular to the covers and pages. Don't sweat it as to how the bookworm got to the starting point.
Labels: mathschallenge
posted by Chris at
1:48 PM
16 Comments:
It all depends on what order the volumes are placed.
Assuming 1-10 from left to right the worm would go though the 2mm front cover of volume 1, then through the 5cm of the remaining 9 volumes = 45.2 cm.
Hi Wiz. That didn't take long. I need to time these for when you're asleep. Not many are as logical as you. You should rename yourself to "Mr. Spock" or "The Vulcan". Greetz.
I forgot to say "you're right".
The "time"? ... someone asks?
The distance is clearly 1/4, being the thickness of two covers and zero pages. That's to easy, so lets figure out the time it would take.
Well, as I have learned watching Star Trek, traveling through a "worm hole" greatly reduces the time needed. And the distance is not relative at all since the space-time fabric has been folded in the creation of the worm hole.
I think the bookworm reaches volume 2 before he leaves volume 1, creating a parodox where he kills his grandfather, and thus never gets to volume 2, so he in fact does not kill his grandfather. Then knowing what will happen, he turns around and eats toward the last page of the first volume. Thus he eats thru 1 and 1/8 inches before he falls on the floor.
This was my answer Feb 14, 2008
I see that now it's the metric system, but that not relative.
LOL, Ragknot you're a nutter ;)
I took a look at that old post. It's amazing how many couldn't understand the problem. 45 responses though, stunning.
Chris,
The trick of mind, in my mind is recreation. Sure it's fun to figure out the answer, but if it's not fun, do something else.
I enjoyed composing that response last year, I wanted to repeat it.
I think that a enjoyable answer beats the correct answer many times. The correct answer may only make the respondant feel good.
Even when I took one as a prime number, and you corrected me, I felt obligated to acknowledge your correction.
That kind of back and forth should increase the audiance of ToM.
You have made ToM better, thanks.
Thank you Ragknot. I'm touched by your remarks.
Assuming page 1 is the first page, rather than there being a copyright page, index etc...
The trick is that he starts at page one, not the cover of book one and he goes through the other books at full size. Each book is 5.8 cm wide...but the first one is only 5.4 cm. So in the end the book worm eats through 57.6 cm of books.
Man............Am I good!!!!
pramsay13, my bad in question. I should have said the first page.
Ragknot, you wouldn't have been incorrect if you had chosen 1 to be a prime. A few mathematicians do regard 1 as a prime.
Really Smart Guy, you haven't read the question correctly.
49.8cm
The correct answer is 45.2 cm. Wizard of Oz has explained why.
Ok...so i was wrong... but i had the right idea. Which leads me to 49.6 which is the CORRECT ANSWER!!!!!!!!
Not 49.8
Sry...........49.6
RSM, how do you arrive at that answer?
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