h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You can get 24 from these munbers. You can even do it twice.

It's nothing to do with the TV series 24 is it?

Oh, oh, oh... You turn one of the threes backwards, so it faces the other way, and add it to the other three, which gives you an 8. Then you add the three eights to give you 24!

Or not...

Pinniped, I wish that was the right answer. In fact, if I ever ask this question again for any reason, I'll make that the answer. Probably the bit where the eight breaks in half to make two zero's.

This time, however, I have another answer in mind. There's nothing sneaky about it. Honest.

Nothing sneaky? Yeah, right...

3+3+8+8=24

I'm using base 9, rather than base 10.

Cupid. I missed your post yesterday. Nothing to do with TV 24.

OK. Dr j. I have to admit that it works in base 9, but it's still not the answer I want.

The answer is in base 10, and requires nothing but the 4 basic arithmetic symbols, a few brackets, and the numbers I have given.

Start with a fraction.

Really, truthfully, nothing sneaky.

Much as I appreciate having a double quiz-thread, could somebody please post a question that doesn't require thinking in bases other than 10?

B

is it something as simple as ((8*8)/3) +3??

Raz, that's not quite it. The answer is exactly 24.

And it's definitely in base 10. It's nothing complicated, it's just difficult to spot.

A backwards 42! Philistine!

*pays rapt attention in a bid to become simultaneous question-setter on both old and new threads*

B

8 / (3-(8/3) = 24

Phew. Erm not sure I really wanted to have answered that...will start looking for another question. Um.

Bloomin' continued fractions... Well done Kelli!

Have been scribbling on bits of paper since yesterday...

Might take me a while to find one as tricky as that

*waits patiently*

If I ask the same question here as in the other thread, d'you think anyone'd notice?

B

do WHAT????

eh?

anyway... back to the important business of

Well done Kelli

See! I said there weren't any tricks in it.

Except that in post 88 you said: The answer is exactly 24.

In this case the answer is actually an approximation, however close it will come to 24, it will never be EXACTLY 24.

But still a very good question, and the original question did not call for exactness.

It's only an approximation if you insist on using a calculator or computer to do the maths. Stick with the tried and tested pencil-and-paper approach, doing it all as fractions (not converting it to decimals), and it'll be exact.

Okay, sorry for the delay...

I'm not terribly good with mathsy questions so I had to look one up for you, hope you haven't seen it before!

Master B is about as many days old as Cleo is weeks, and Master B is as many months old as Dr Justin is in years. Master B, Cleo and Dr Justin together are 160 years. Can you tell me Dr Justin's age in years?

96

It's a lie, tell you! I big, horrible, ugly lie!