A good Car Talk Puzzler

How many of you are good enough at high powered math to solve this week's puzzzler?

It only took me about 10 minutes.

Here 'tis:

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Don't reply with the answer, just tell me how long it took YOU to "get it".

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia
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About 10 seconds.

jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

, I must be only half as smart as Jeff, 20 seconds.

CarlBoyd

Reply to
Carl

Jim, I see we have a common middle initial. My middle name is Arnold. I never thought to ask why my folks picked that name but even though it would "fit" I'm just as happy that they didn't choose Edward or Ethan.

Jeff (Happy Passover to those celebrating it.)

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

jeff_wisnia fired this volley in news:Xv2dnaJ7e6zewDHQnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

In this case, there is no "higher math". The poles must be exactly touching for half of a 150' long rope to reach down 75'.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" fired this volley in news:Xns9ECB800E5343lloydspmindspringcom@216.168.3.70:

oops! I thought it was an old puzzler! (urk!)

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

I don't know the answer. I'm almost certain they misspelled "canary", though.

-- If only he'd wash his neck, I'd wring it. -- John Sparrow

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Mine did pick Edward, though I never suffered for it in school. The S is Edward's last name, so I had a good excuse, my grandfather's name sandwiched into my father's.

jesw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Less than five seconds.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Oh hell...

I was going to get out an ancient electrical engineering book that was full of wire droop formulas to figure it out...

Reply to
Jim Stewart

I want my money back.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

About 20 seconds.

Reply to
Steve W.

I looked up "cantenary" (note spelling) and Wiki had the formula; I was all set to write a program that would try test values in the formula until I zeroed in on one that gave the answer. I wonder if in this case it would converge? I guess I now have one more useless thing to waste my ample "spare time" on. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

"Catenary," of course.

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

It took me about a minute. I was thinking of looking up how hyperbolic trig functions work and the equations for determining aspects of a catenary then I got it.

Wes

Reply to
Wes

You were not supposed to tell the answer!

Wes

Reply to
Wes

Correction posted, _just_ in the nick of time! heh heh .... ;>)}

Reply to
Phil Kangas

"Catenary" (note spelling)

Reply to
Doug Miller

Wes fired this volley in news:Yl3rp.46111 $ snipped-for-privacy@en-nntp-07.dc.easynews.com:

I already apologized! I thought it was an old puzzler. I worked this weekend! (sorry)

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

I want my money back.

Jon

Reply: Actually 2x the thickness of the rope. Touching, the rope could not loop between them.

Reply to
Califbill

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