Dave's 84 is the correct answer for this riddle.
* Dave Cross ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > > From: David Cantrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 10/19/01 12:31:29 PM > > >On Fri, Oct 19, 2001 at 09:48:51AM +0100, Greg McCarroll wrote: > >> And finally a quick riddle, where you have to work out > >> the age of Diophantus, > >> "Here lies Diophantus," the wonder behold . . . > >> Through art algebraic, the stone tells how old: > >> "God gave him his boyhood one-sixth of his life, > >> One twelfth more as youth while whiskers grew rife; > >> And then yet one-seventh ere marriage begun; > >> In five years there came a bouncing new son. > >> Alas, the dear child of master and sage > >> After attaining half the measure of his fathers life > >> chill fate took him. > >> After consoling his fate by this science of numbers for > >> four years, he ended his life." > > > > This is trivial, but can give two answers depending on > > how you interpret "half the measure of his fathers > > life". Is it half the measure of his father's *entire* > > life, or half the measure of his father's life up until > > that point? > > Yeah. Spotted that, but went with the most obvious one > (the first one). > > > Assuming the former ... > > As did I. > > > x/6 + x/12 + x/7 + 5 + x/2 + 4 = x > > Well, we started with the same equation > > > => 84x + 42x + 72x + 2520 + 252x + 1008 = 504x # multiply > by 504 > > I multiplied by 84. Giving > > 14x + 7x + 12x + 420 + 42x + 336 = 84x > > > => 2520 + 1008 = 3528 = 54x > > 756 = 9x > > >=> x = 65 yrs 4 months, give or take a day or two > > x = 84 > > I believe your error was in the calculation of 4 x 504 :) > > hth, > > Dave... > -- > <http://www.dave.org.uk> > > "Let me see you make decisions, without your television" > - Depeche Mode (Stripped) > > > > -- Greg McCarroll http://217.34.97.146/~gem/
