- Varun
Originally posted by HS Thomas:
Braille.
regards
- Varun
Piscis Babelis est parvus, flavus, et hiridicus, et est probabiliter insolitissima raritas in toto mundo.
Piscis Babelis est parvus, flavus, et hiridicus, et est probabiliter insolitissima raritas in toto mundo.
"I can arrange the dice in two groups such that both groups show the same total."
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
This isn't making a lot of sense.
Jim, I added my p.s. comment just in order to avoid any potential questions in the same lines ... anyways !!!
Can we assume that he's allowed to touch the dics and move them around (which means that he'll also be able to eventually find out by touch how many dice there are) but that he's unable to tell by touch which number is on a side?
No (see thats why I added that p.s. comment)
"Standard" dice have indented pips that would make it easy for a blind person to identify a number by touch. Shall we assume that these have perfectly smooth sides, and the number is indicated by paint and the blind man can't tell one numbe from the other?
"touch" option is eliminated already
Standard dice also have the potentially useful property that two opposite sides add up to 7. Is that true here?
This is very much true ... and is th main key to the solution.
When you say "arrange the dice in two groups" does that mean that (a) ever die is in one of the two groups, and (b) no die is in both groups?
Sorry !!! your question not clear
When you say "show the same total", you mean you calculate the total for a group by adding up the values of the top face shown on each die in the group, right?
Right !!!
I know many of these questions may seem silly or obvious, but I styrongly suspect that somewhere, one of our "obvious" assumptions is incorrect
Right
- Varun
Spot false dilemmas now, ask me how!
(If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much room.)
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Originally posted by Bert Bates:
Can any of the die be flipped to have another side up?
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Spot false dilemmas now, ask me how!
(If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much room.)
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Standard dice also have the potentially useful property that two opposite sides add up to 7. Is that true here?
Originally posted by HS Thomas:
Same as in the original total 35 or any 2 numbers that are the same ?
regards
[ September 18, 2003: Message edited by: HS Thomas ]
- Varun
Originally posted by Bert Bates:
Can a given die be a member of both groups?
Nope !!!
Can any of the die be flipped to have another side up?
Yes !!!
- Varun
- Varun
Originally posted by HS Thomas:
Is my answer correct ?
- Varun
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
- Varun
I dropped a few (standard) dice on the floor. I did some quick addition and said, "I threw a 35." My friend, who was sitting nearby, said, "I can arrange all the dice in two separate groups such that both groups show the same total."
This surprised me because my friend is totally blind! I replied, "But you don't even know how many dice are there."
He said, "I don't need to."
I thought about it some more and said "But you can read Braile! So you can probably feel the sides of the dice with your sensitive fingers, and read the numbers on the dice that way, and use that knowledge to help you arrange the dice. That's too easy!"
He said, "No, I don't need to feel the sides. To prove it, I will wear these gloves, which are too thick for me to identify the numbers on the dice by touch, but still allow me to feel the dice and move them around however I desire."
I said, "OK, prove it," and he did. I was impressed. How did he manage this feat?
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
I dropped .........
............................
.......<<same as earlier>>.............
.........
He said, "I don't need to."
I thought about it some more and said "But you can read Braile! So you can probably feel the sides of the dice with your sensitive fingers, and read the numbers on the dice that way, and use that knowledge to help you arrange the dice. That's too easy!"
He said, "No, I don't need to feel the sides. To prove it, I will wear these gloves, which are too thick for me to identify the numbers on the dice by touch, but still allow me to feel the dice and move them around however I desire."
I asked whether the two groups will show the same total of 35 or any other number .. he said "any other number".
I asked can a die be member of both group and can it be flipped?
He replied "No and Yes", respectively.
I asked him to give me some hint, he said he knows opposite side of dices adds up to 7 ....
I said "So what?"
He added "He will seperate out five dices into one group and rest into other" !!!
I said, "OK, prove it," and he did. I was impressed. How did he manage this feat?
- Varun
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
He added "He will seperate out five dices into one group and rest into other
The truth is, being able to identify the number of dice isn't really important to the solution, and it was an unnecessary distraction to us.
HS: But thanks for giving us this problem , we are richer for that.
HS: Why did he say flip 5 dice and not 4 ?
HS: What if the sum was 27 with 5 dice?
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HS: It's just as well Jim is here to explain why a solution for a sum of 27 doesn't work.
Thanks Jim.
- Varun
My pie came with a little toothpic holding up this tiny ad:
a bit of art, as a gift, the permaculture playing cards
https://gardener-gift.com
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