| Author | Message | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 641 Registered: 12-2004 |
I apologize for those who have heard this before, but hopefully it will be new to somebody. If you know the answer, please do not spoil. A man walks into a building and begins to wander around. After a few moments, someone hears a sound like a firecracker going off. A moment or two later, smoke can be smelled, and the fire department is called. Explain! | ||
| Liquizt (Liquizt)
New member Username: Liquizt Post Number: 572 Registered: 5-2008 |
man = H? A? M? building = public? privately owned? company owned? government owned? hotel? flats? hospital? wander around = walks around? going nowhere in particular? identity of 'someone' relevant? does no-one else hear this sound? is it a firecracker? popcorn? :P smoke can be smelled by 'someone'? everyone? the man who walked in and wandered around? was the fire department called because of the smell of smoke? some other indication that the fire department's services were required? both? were the fire department's services actually required? was there actual smoke? a fire? something burned? someone in danger? Did the man who wandered around cause the sound that sounded like a firecracker? cause the smell of smoke? call the fire department? Did the 'someone' who heard the sound cause the sound that sounded like a firecracker? cause the smell of smoke? call the fire department? Is the man who wandered around (can we name him now actually? Joseph?) dead or in danger when the fire department were called? Is the 'someone' who heard the sound (can we name them too? Alex?) dead or in danger when the fire department were called? Are there any other relevant persons/animals/entities? Iff so: Insert LTPF list of integers? Title relevant? Electricity? Was someone or something fried? Was the sound that was heard the sound of powerful electrical sparks? Was the smell of smoke from something or someone that was fried? Does this event occur a lot in this building? has it ever happened in this building before? Iff so: are the fire department called every time? is it a annual/seasonal thing? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 644 Registered: 12-2004 |
Liquizt (Liquizt) Posted on Sunday, November 02, 2008 - 4:18 pm: man = H? A? M? This must be something new. I am assuming that you are asking if he is a normal, living, human male. This is correct. building = public? privately owned? company owned? government owned? hotel? flats? hospital? It was a business, but this could have occurred in many different types of buildings. wander around = walks around? This is all that is really relevant. going nowhere in particular? identity of 'someone' relevant? Not really does no-one else hear this sound? Other people do here the sound is it a firecracker? No popcorn? :P Negative smoke can be smelled by 'someone'? everyone? Everyone that was there at the time the man who walked in and wandered around? Eventually was the fire department called because of the smell of smoke? Yessome other indication that the fire department's services were required? both? were the fire department's services actually required? I would think so was there actual smoke? yes a fire? something burned? This is the better answer someone in danger? Potentially Did the man who wandered around cause the sound that sounded like a firecracker? Yes cause the smell of smoke? Yes call the fire department? No Did the 'someone' who heard the sound cause the sound that sounded like a firecracker? cause the smell of smoke? call the fire department? Possibly. No to others. Is the man who wandered around (can we name him now actually? Joseph?Sure, why not?) dead or in danger when the fire department were called? Not dead, but I could see a potential for danger Is the 'someone' who heard the sound (can we name them too? Alex?Sure, although the specific person is not relevant) dead or in danger when the fire department were called? Not dead, but... Are there any other relevant persons/animals/entities? Iff so: Insert LTPF list of integers? The only real relevant person is Joseph. It is only relevant that he smelling of smoke and calling of the fire department occurred by a person other than Joseph. Title relevant? Yes Electricity? is relevant Was someone or something fried? Not in the culinary sense Was the sound that was heard the sound of powerful electrical sparks? Yes-ish Was the smell of smoke from something or someone that was fried? Yesish Does this event occur a lot in this building? No has it ever happened in this building before? Nope Iff so: are the fire department called every time? is it a annual/seasonal thing? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 645 Registered: 12-2004 |
I found out what "H? A? M?" means, and the answer to all is yes. Cut me some slack, yo! This is my first puzzle in two years or so. :-] | ||
| Liquizt (Liquizt)
New member Username: Liquizt Post Number: 573 Registered: 5-2008 |
Can we use 'Alex' in that case to represent a member of an arbitrary number of individuals who were witnesses to the event in that they all could smell the smoke/ heard the sound? and any questions regarding 'Alex' to be taken as if it were meant '...any one of that arbitrary number of individuals who could smell the smoke/ heard the sound...' (i.e. did Alex call the fire department? = did any one of that arbitrary number of individuals who could smell the smoke/ heard the sound call the fire department?)? Not sure how much this will help but could save a fair bit of typing. If there is a distinction however between some people who heard the sound and some people who could smell the smoke then we won't bother with this. sorry, meant to make it clear I meant 'fried' in the 'electrocuted' sense. | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 647 Registered: 12-2004 |
Recap: "Joseph" (a guy) walked around in a business. "Joseph" caused something to happen (relating to electricity) and this occurrence made a sound. "Alex" (any or all of a group of people, of which "Joseph" is not a part) thought the sound sounded like a firecracker. Something burned. "Alex" (any or all of a group of people of which "Joseph" is not a part) smelled smoke and called the fire department. This is not a normal occurrence. | ||
| Gourami (Gourami)
New member Username: Gourami Post Number: 330 Registered: 2-2008 |
Was a person electrocuted? Joseph? Alex? Was an animal electrocuted? Did Joseph intend to cause the sound and smell? Did he cause it just by wandering around? Did he flip a switch? Move anything? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 648 Registered: 12-2004 |
Gourami (Gourami) Posted on Sunday, November 02, 2008 - 6:54 pm: Was a person electrocuted? No Joseph? Alex? Was an animal electrocuted? Negative Did Joseph intend to cause the sound and smell? No Did he cause it just by wandering around? Yope Did he flip a switch? No Move anything? Yope | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 256 Registered: 6-2008 |
Did Joseph feel anything when the sound was produced? see anything? Was the sound produced by something that Joseph was physically in possession of? an object with which he made contact? | ||
| Gourami (Gourami)
New member Username: Gourami Post Number: 332 Registered: 2-2008 |
Did he cause it by moving the air? Himself? Kicking something as he walked? By making a sound? Was old/faulty wiring involved in the incident? Water? An appliance? A power outlet? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 651 Registered: 12-2004 |
Biograd (Biograd): Did Joseph feel anything when the sound was produced?Noish see anything?No Was the sound produced by something that Joseph was physically in possession of? <b>Yope<b> an object with which he made contact? Yes Gourami (Gourami): Did he cause it by moving the air? No Himself? Yope Kicking something as he walked? NoBy making a sound? Please clarify Was old/faulty wiring involved in the incident? No Water? An appliance? A power outlet? None of these | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 751 Registered: 12-2004 |
And if the real thing don't do the trick You better make up something quick You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick Ooooh, barracuda! | ||
| Dlcygnet (Dlcygnet)
New member Username: Dlcygnet Post Number: 1480 Registered: 6-2005 |
Static electricity relevant? Did a spark cause gas to ignite? Carpets relevant? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 763 Registered: 12-2004 |
Dlcygnet (Dlcygnet): Static electricity relevant? Yep Did a spark cause gas to ignite? No Carpets relevant? Yep | ||
| Howardwoman (Howardwoman)
New member Username: Howardwoman Post Number: 146 Registered: 1-2008 |
Was the guy dragging his feet on the carpet and caused a fire due to static electricity? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 773 Registered: 12-2004 |
Howardwoman (Howardwoman): Was the guy dragging his feet on the carpet and caused a fire due to static electricity? Not quite, but it's close enough for me to go ahead with the... | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 774 Registered: 12-2004 |
**********************************SPOILER******************************************** The story can be found at http://www.electricityforum.com/news/sep05/Staticelectricity40000volts.html SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building. Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woolen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together. When he walked into a building in the country town of Warrnambool in the southern state of Victoria recently, the electrical charge ignited the carpet. "It sounded almost like a firecracker," Clewer told Australian radio. "Within about five minutes, the carpet started to erupt." Employees, unsure of the cause of the mysterious burning smell, telephoned firefighters who evacuated the building. "There were several scorch marks in the carpet, and we could hear a cracking noise - a bit like a whip - both inside and outside the building," said fire official Henry Barton. Firefighters cut electricity to the building thinking the burns might have been caused by a power surge. Clewer, who after leaving the building discovered he had scorched a piece of plastic on the floor of his car, returned to seek help from the firefighters. "We tested his clothes with a static electricity field meter and measured a current of 40,000 volts, which is one step shy of spontaneous combustion, where his clothes would have self-ignited," Barton said. "I've been firefighting for over 35 years and I've never come across anything like this," he said. Firefighters took possession of Clewer's jacket and stored it in the courtyard of the fire station, where it continued to give off a strong electrical current. David Gosden, a senior lecturer in electrical engineering at Sydney University, told Reuters that for a static electricity charge to ignite a carpet, conditions had to be perfect. "Static electricity is a similar mechanism to lightning, where you have clouds rubbing together and then a spark generated by very dry air above them," said Gosden. Reuters That wasn't as fun as I hoped it would be, but I'll find something better. |
