What's Wrong With That?

The following is what seems to be a mathematical proof that ten equals 9.999999.... What's wrong with it?

a = 9.999999...
10a = 99.999999...
10a - a = 90
9a = 90
a = 10

One smart thief

Two fifty foot ropes are suspended from a forty foot ceiling twenty feet apart. You have only a knife. How much of the rope can you steal?

It's Friday!

1)
thinkuact

2)
ware
mholey

3)
siinformationde

4)
cancan

5)
$0 all all all all

Words Gone Wild

Did you know I like Rebus?

1)
TTTTTTTTT9.9

2)
B     B
U     U
R     R
N     N

3)
      mad
mad U mad
      mad

4)
CirKEEPcle

5)
Business :)

6)
Cont_ol

7)
R.P.I.

8)
cHIMp

I'm no hardware engineer

And why you would want to do this is beyond me. But here's today's puzzle.

A computer cable has seven connectors, arranged in a perfect circle -- so by rotating the plug, it can be connected to the outlet in any of seven different ways. Each of the connectors is numbered from one to seven, each number being used exactly once. The same is true for the holes in the outlet. The device that uses this cable only requires that one of the connectors match up to its corresponding hole in order to operate. How should you number the connectors on the plug and the holes in the outlet so that, no matter how the cable is rotated and plugged in, at least one connector matches up?

The NBA today

A gambler bet on a horse race, but the bookee wouldn't tell him the results of the race. The bookee gave clues as to how the five horses finished -- which may have included some ties -- and wouldn't pay the gambler off unless the gambler could determine how the five horses finished based on the following clues:

• Penuche Fudge finished before Near Miss and after Whispered Promises.
• Whispered Promises tied with Penuche Fudge if and only if Happy Go Lucky did not tie with Skipper's Gal.
• Penuche Fudge finished as many places after Skipper's Gal as Skipper's Gal finished after Whispered Promises if and only if Whispered Promises finished before Near Miss.

The gambler thought for a moment, then answered correctly. How did the five horses finish the race?

Science Fair

Isaac and Albert were excitedly describing the result of the Third Annual International Science Fair Extravaganza in Sweden. There were three contestants, Louis, Rene, and Johannes. Isaac reported that Louis won the fair, while Rene came in second. Albert, on the other hand, reported that Johannes won the fair, while Louis came in second.

In fact, neither Isaac nor Albert had given a correct report of the results of the science fair. Each of them had given one correct statement and one false statement. What was the actual placing of the three contestants?

Repeat After Me

Some more rebus for you to enjoy...

1)
MEREPEAT

2)
o er t o

3)
faredce

4)
cotaxme

5)
k k
c c
u u
t t
s s
word word word word

6)
no ways it ways

7)
r
y
s

Mix Up

A few jokes for you today:

1. What do you get if you mix a car, a fly, and a dog?
2. What do you call a worm with no teeth?
3. What table can we eat?

Odd Two Out

Each of the following have two words that do not belong with the other three words. For instance, Lily, Jane, Tulip and Rose. Jane doesn't belong because it's not a flower. But Tulip doesn't belong because it's not a girls name.

1. Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, and Hoover

2. King, Earl, Knight, and Bishop

3. Yellow, Green, Dead, and Black

Lies And More Lies

Richard is a strange liar. He lies on six days of the week, but on the seventh day he always tells the truth. He made the following statements on three successive days:

Day 1: "I lie on Monday and Tuesday."
Day 2: "Today, it's Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday."
Day 3: "I lie on Wednesday and Friday."

The Question: On which day does Richard tell the truth?

T Anyone?

It's rebus time again. What's the following represent?

1)
T _ _ E

2)
OINTFLYMENT

3)
DAY L8 DOLLA

Tolkein Riddle

Alive without breath,
As cold as death;
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail never clinking.

-Gollum

These five people share a love of tennis. But - from the clues below - can you work out at which club each of the five plays, what their surname is, and how old they are?

Names: Anne, Carlos, Clive, Margaret, Stephen
Surnames: Atkins, Evans, Harrison, Kelly, Osuna
Clubs: Bartletts, Overhampton, Portland, Racquets, Worthies
Ages: 18, 30, 43, 55, 61

Clues

1. Margaret joined Worthies club last Summer, and hopes to still be playing when she hits 40.
2. Stephen isn't at Bartletts, whose member is the second oldest and isn't a Kelly.
3. Anne, the youngest player, isn't a Harrison, and doesn't play at Overhampton, the club of Mr Osuna.
4. Racquets only has male members - Carlos would never join it and Margaret Kelly can't! Clive is the second eldest player, being junior to Stephen Atkins.

How Old Are You Now?

1. Ten years from now Tim will be twice as old as Jane was when Mary was nine times as old as Tim.

2. Eight years ago, Mary was half as old as Jane will be when Jane is one year older than Tim will be at the time when Mary will be five times as old as Tim will be two years from now.

3. When Tim was one year old, Mary was three years older than Tim will be when Jane is three times as old as Mary was six years before the time when Jane was half as old as Tim will be when Mary will be ten years older than Mary was when Jane was one-third as old as Tim will be when Mary will be three times as old as she was when Jane was born.

How old are they now?

Math Jokes

1. Why should you never mention the number 288 in front of anyone?
2. How is the moon like a dollar?
3. What coin doubles in value when half is deducted?
4. Where can you buy a ruler that is 3 feet long?
5. What has 4 legs and only 1 foot?
6. What did one math book say to the other math book?

All you ever need to know about frogs

Here are some frog riddles (jokes, really) to get you started this fine Monday morning.

1. Why are frogs so happy?
2. How does a frog feel when he has a broken leg?
3. What happened to the frog's car when his parking meter expired?
4. What is a frogs favorite time?

What time is it?

You are stuck in a room with two doors. The first door leads to a room with a magnifying glass that will use the suns rays to fry you into cinders the moment you walk into it. The second door has a dragon who will flame you to death the moment you open the door.

How do you escape?

And more importantly, how did you get stuck in a room like that anyways? :-)

Planes, Trains, and Coats

During a recent plane and train spotting contest, five eager entrants were lined up ready to be tested on their spotting ability. They had each spotted a number of planes (26, 86, 123, 174, 250) and a number of trains (5, 42, 45, 98, 105). From the clues below, can you determine what colour coat each was wearing, their position, their age (21, 23, 31, 36, 40) and the number of trains and planes spotted?

1. Simon spotted 44 less trains than planes.
2. Keith was 36 years old.
3. The person on the far right was 8 years younger than Simon, and spotted 174 planes.
4. James was wearing a beige coat and spotted 37 trains fewer than Simon.
5. The person who was wearing a green coat, was 19 years younger than the person to his left.
6. Steven spotted 105 trains and 250 planes.
7. The person in the centre was 31 years old, was wearing a blue coat and spotted 42 trains.
8. Alan, who was on the far left, spotted 26 planes, and spotted 72 trains more than planes.
9. The person who was wearing a red coat, was 4 years older than Keith and was not next to the person wearing a blue coat.
10.The person who was next to the 31 year old but not next to the person who spotted 26 planes, was wearing a orange coat, and spotted 45 trains.

Fourth of July Trivia

No question today, just some facts and figures to impress your friends with. Have a happy Fourth and I'll see you all on Thursday!

The Fourth of July 2007

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, triggering the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
(1776 population from Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970.)

302 million
The nation’s population on this July Fourth.

Fireworks

$206.3 million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2006, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($216 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $22.6 million in 2006, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($8 million).

$17.3 million
The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002.

Fourth of July Cookouts

More than 1 in 4
The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State had a total of 15.5 million market hogs and pigs on March 1. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. North Carolina (8.4 million) and Minnesota (6.2 million) were the runners-up.

6.8 billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2006. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s total production. And if they did not come from Texas, they very well may have come from Nebraska (4.8 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds).

6
Number of states in which the revenue from broiler chickens was $1 billion or greater between December 2005 and November 2006. There is a good chance that one of these states — Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi or Texas — is the source of your barbecued chicken.

About 50-50
The odds that the beans in your side dish of baked beans came from Michigan or North Dakota, which produced 49 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2006. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia and New York together accounted for 60 percent of the sweet corn produced nationally in 2006.

Please Pass the Potato Salad
Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Nearly half of the nation’s spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington in 2006.

More than 70 percent
Amount of the nation’s head lettuce production in 2006 that came from California. This lettuce may end up in your salad or on your hamburger.

About 2 in 3
The chances that the fresh tomatoes in your salad came from Florida or California, which combined accounted for 68 percent of U.S. tomato production last year. The ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounted for 95 percent of processed tomato production in 2006.

Florida
The state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (835 million pounds). Other leading producers of this popular Fourth of July dessert include California, Georgia and Texas, each with more than 600 million pounds.

More than 74 million
Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.

Flags

$5.3 million
In 2006, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags; the vast majority of this amount ($5 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.

$1.7 million
Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2006. Trinidad and Tobago was the leading customer, purchasing $661,498 worth.

$349.2 million
Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation’s manufacturers, according to the latest published Economic Census (2002) data.

Patriotic-Sounding Names

30
Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in its name. The most populous one is Liberty, Mo. (29,042). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

* Thirty-two places are named “eagle” — after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 25,571 residents. There is also Eagle County, Colo., with a population of 49,085.
* Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 110,208 residents.
* Five places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.
* There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Ind., with a population of 195.
* And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 21,372.

The British are Coming!

$99 billion
Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.

Source: US Census

No cheaters allowed

Read the sentence below and count the F's in that sentence. Count them ONLY ONCE. Do not go back and count them again. There is no trick to this, other than in your own mind.

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.