Please Help Me!!!

[spanky]

This dame riddle is killing me. Please help solve it.

The reunion of two old friends in a streetcar sounded like this...
-How are you?
-Thank you I'm fine.
-You just got married when we last met, any children?
-I have three kids.
-Wow! How old are they?
-Well if you multiply there ages you would get 36; but if you add them up, you get the number of people on this streetcar.
-Gotcha but you did not tell me enough information to figure out their ages.
-My oldest kid likes baseball.
-Ok, now I know their ages.

So the questions how old are his son's and what proof do you have to back it up?

[OC]

I had a question like this recently - the problem was that from there were two legitimate answers, and she could not explain to my satisfaction why one of the answers was wrong. Questions like this are designed to make the person with the -ahem, answer - seem smarter than they really are.

If I were you I'd say "I have no idea".

-OC

[Y2J]

9, 4, and 1

9 for baseball cause there are 9 innings in a regulation game

[OC]

Originally posted by Y2J
9, 4, and 1

9 for baseball cause there are 9 innings in a regulation game


Which makes my point exactly - you have NO IDEA now many people are on the streetcar. The "9 innings" thing just makes the person asking the question look clever. (No offense, Y2J)

There is no real logic to this question - only the appearance of cleverness. Another term for it is "fishing for compliments". F*ck that.

-OC

[Edited by overclocked on 06-13-2001 at 11:12 PM]

[TheLoneGunman]

Hmmm...

What if the kids were 9 and two 2 year old twins?

After all, no one said the total number of people on the streetcar.

Also, there could be two 6 year old twins and a 1 year old. The "older" twin could qualify for baseball because maybe that is the age to start playing in some peewee league (I don't know, I am just guessing).

Finally, perhaps the streetcar is packed and the oldest kid is 36 and there are two 1 year old twins (it happens). The 36-year old is the coach of the local pro baseball team. Also maybe it was a really long time since they last met (also happens).

[spanky]

Sorry to tell you this but the word "baseball" has nothing to do with it. He can like ice cream or whatevers. This is what makes this dame riddle so frustrating.

[OC]

Originally posted by spanky
Sorry to tell you this but the word "baseball" has nothing to do with it. He can like ice cream or whatevers. This is what makes this dame riddle so frustrating.

Ok - do you the answer? More to the point, do you know an answer that'll please everyone? If not, my point stands - that questions like this only make the person asking the question look clever.

-OC

[hapoo]

i know the answer :D

there are 2 possibilities for ages 9 + 2 + 2 and 6 + 6 + 1, thats why he said i dont have enough information. Once she said that her oldest kid likes baseball she implied that the oldest child is an only child and not a twin (you cant have an oldest kid if you have twins) hence the answer is 9 + 2 + 2 :D


[Edited by hapoo on 06-14-2001 at 12:48 AM]

[mojo]

you can have an oldest kid if there are twins. unless the twins shoot out at the same time. then the father would have plenty of time for baseball, as sex would become less appealing to the mother.

[hapoo]

Originally posted by mojorisin
you can have an oldest kid if there are twins. unless the twins shoot out at the same time. then the father would have plenty of time for baseball, as sex would become less appealing to the mother.

yes but you dont refer to a twin as an oldest child... your getting way too technical.

Damn newbies :P

[fakesurfers]

The answer is that the man is lying. Nobody likes baseball.

[CluelessSi]

Originally posted by hapoo
i know the answer :D

there are 2 possibilities for ages 9 + 2 + 2 and 6 + 6 + 1, thats why he said i dont have enough information. Once she said that her oldest kid likes baseball she implied that the oldest child is an only child and not a twin (you cant have an oldest kid if you have twins) hence the answer is 9 + 2 + 2 :D


[Edited by hapoo on 06-14-2001 at 12:48 AM]
Damn beat me to it...actually I got a question similar to this on an interview =) heehee Aced it ^_~

[Jenny]

Originally posted by hapoo
Damn newbies :P


ROFLMAO!!!!! HAHAHAHAH Hapoo, that was the funniest thing I've heard in a long time.... HHEHEHEHEHEHEHE Thanks! :D

[oblongmelon]

it's thursday and you are asking me to think? MY GOD you're demanding.

[spanky]

Okay, officially the answer is 9, 2, 2.

[Y2J]

Originally posted by spanky
Okay, officially the answer is 9, 2, 2.

so why isnt it 9,4&1?

[hapoo]

Originally posted by Y2J

Originally posted by spanky
Okay, officially the answer is 9, 2, 2.

so why isnt it 9,4&1?

well the original riddle stated the fact that there were 13 people in the streetcar... i guess he either mistyped it or the person he got it from misread it.

[Speedfreak]

The kids are 9, 4, and one in the oven. :thumbup:

[leemaj]

why isnt it 36, 1, and 1??

[hapoo]

Originally posted by leemaj
why isnt it 36, 1, and 1??


the mother has three "kids" as in children, young'ns, small ones. i dont know of many people who decide to have a kid in their 50's anyway. This isn't a math problem guys its a riddle.

[ShawnLee]

I agree with Hapoo, otherwise you end up going through the list trying to find all multiples. Why not 18, 2, and 1?

or 12, 3, and 1

or -36, -1, and 1?

and so on and so forth.

[StonedWheat]

Originally posted by hapoo

Originally posted by Y2J

Originally posted by spanky
Okay, officially the answer is 9, 2, 2.

so why isnt it 9,4&1?

well the original riddle stated the fact that there were 13 people in the streetcar... i guess he either mistyped it or the person he got it from misread it.

That's so lame. At least get the riddle right before you make people think about it! It's like remembering the punchline but forgetting the joke.