You are reading a single comment by @Husy and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@Husy
I think I got this although i'm making the assumption that the clever man is in fact clever and that he knows the house number and so has tried to work it out with that knowledge and failed.
Applying the first clue: Numbers that multiply together to for you to get 36 are as follows:
1, 1, 36
1, 3, 12
1, 4, 9
1, 2, 18
1, 6, 6
2, 2, 9
2, 3, 6
3, 3, 4
Second clue: (The second man seems to know the door number but this clue does not help him. Therefore i'm assuming after adding up all the combinations the man found some to give the same number otherwise he'd have guessed the ages) The sum of the different combinations are as follows:
1, 1, 36 = 38
1, 3, 12 = 16
1, 4, 9 = 14
1, 2, 18 = 21
1, 6, 6 = 13
2, 2, 9 = 13
2, 3, 6 = 11
3, 3, 4 = 10
The sum of the combinations are all different except for 1, 6, 6 & 2, 2, 9 which both equal 13. So it's one of these. If not then knowing the house number the clever man would have picked it. But because it's the sum of two combinations he's still unsure.
Third clue tells us that there's a younger daughter (thanks horatio!). So it's not 2, 2, 9.
Therefore their ages are 1, 6 and 6. And the house number is 13.
...I think.