Tricky Maths (But Fun)

[saffron sam2]

4+7-8x8

fcuk sake. You could have mixed the numbers about like.

That makes -53.

[AZOffaly]

He's bad with brackets.
((4+7)-8) x 8

[ONeill]

How so.

Why not -5 then.

[ONeill]

Two Ardboe men, James and Tom, meet after a few years on the run.
Three kids
James: Ghosto, how are you lad?
Tom: Not bad, got married there and I have three childer now.
James: That's deadly. How old are they?
Tom: The product of their ages is 72 and the sum of their ages is the same as your birth date.
James: Rethal... But I still don't know.
Tom: My eldest kid just started taking piano lessons.
James: Oh now I get it.

How old are Tom's kids?

[ONeill]

Yep. 9 mins though.

[John Martin]

Can ya explain that one please O'Neill?

[ONeill]

There are a few combinations that give you 72 (1, 2, 36 etc.). He says the sum was his birth date (1-31) so that narrows it a bit.

However, it wasn't until Tom said his eldest played piano that the penny dropped for James. That means there must be two of the children the same age.

That leaves

2 x 6 x 6 = 72
3 x 3 x 8 = 72

Looking at that now, maybe this is flawed. Perhaps the older "twins" were Irish twins?

[John Martin]

That makes no sense. Why would there need to be twins?
The kids could be 1,8 and 9 and the 9 year old would be the eldest.

[ONeill]

That makes no sense. Why would there need to be twins?
The kids could be 1,8 and 9 and the 9 year old would be the eldest.

But he would have known straight away.

[John Martin]

That makes no sense. Why would there need to be twins?
The kids could be 1,8 and 9 and the 9 year old would be the eldest.

But he would have known straight away.

What? You've confused me even more now.

[ONeill]

Tom: The product of their ages is 72 and the sum of their ages is the same as your birth date.
James: Rethal... But I still don't know.

[ONeill]

Looking at it, the 6 and the 6 may be 10 months apart. Happened in our house a rake of times.

[AZOffaly]

O'neill hasn't explained it right.

There are a number of combinations to get 72.

The sum of only two of the combinations give the same number. 2x6x6 and 3x3x8.

So, when yer boy still wasn't sure, it means it was one of those two combinations.

When yer boy said he had an eldest.

Well......

But 1, 8 and 9 would do the same job, and give a birthdate of 18?

[John Martin]

O'neill hasn't explained it right.

There are a number of combinations to get 72.

The sum of only two of the combinations give the same number. 2x6x6 and 3x3x8.

So, when yer boy still wasn't sure, it means it was one of those two combinations.

When yer boy said he had an eldest.

Well......

Thanks. I should have got that. I forgot that James would know his own birthday.

[Tony Baloney]

Hardstation really schooling O'Neill tonight. Painful to watch.