| Author | Message | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2218 Registered: 12-2010 |
Hannah (H/A/F) goes grocery shopping once a week. There are two almost identical supermarkets in her area: They're both equally far away from her house, carry the same products, have the same opening hours... Going through all of her receipts at the end of the year, Hannah sees that she went to the supermarket in Shelbyville twice as often as she went to the one in Springfield. How come? The Simpsons are not relevant, I just needed two town names. Bonus points if you know where I borrowed the puzzle title (: | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 165 Registered: 10-2011 |
I don't know why, but I guess you had to start it somewhere? And so it started... there? Did Hannah work in Shelbyville? Or was it for some other reason more convienient to shop there? Did she spend more money in Shelbyville as well? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2219 Registered: 12-2010 |
I don't know why, but I guess you had to start it somewhere? And so it started... there? yes indeed (: Did Hannah work in Shelbyville? no Or was it for some other reason more convienient to shop there? no Did she spend more money in Shelbyville as well? probably twice as much - assume she usually paid about the same every week | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15604 Registered: 4-2010 |
Are the two towns in the same state (or country, or province)? Is the sales tax in Shelbyville less than in Springfield? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2220 Registered: 12-2010 |
Are the two towns in the same state (or country, or province)? assume yes Is the sales tax in Shelbyville less than in Springfield? yes | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2221 Registered: 12-2010 |
Second round of questions and it's already time for a big fat BLOOOOPER: NO, sales tax in Shelbyville is not less than in Springfield. It's the same. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15609 Registered: 4-2010 |
That's fine; there have been bloopers in puzzle statements before. Is transportation relevant? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2222 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is transportation relevant? yes | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15612 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is it relevant how she gets to the stores? How she gets back? Relevant how many groceries she buys in a single trip? | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 166 Registered: 10-2011 |
Does she shop more often in Shelbyville because of something about the supermarket there? Or is there another reason that hasn't really got anything to do with the supermarket itself? Does she know someone who works at either of the supermarkets? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2223 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is it relevant how she gets to the stores? How she gets back? yes to both Relevant how many groceries she buys in a single trip? no Does she shop more often in Shelbyville because of something about the supermarket there? no Or is there another reason that hasn't really got anything to do with the supermarket itself? yes Does she know someone who works at either of the supermarkets? irrel | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 167 Registered: 10-2011 |
Does she get to and fro the supermarket by car? Tram? Metro? Train? Bus? Bicycle? Motorbike/scooter? By walking? On horseback? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2224 Registered: 12-2010 |
Does she get to and fro the supermarket by car? Tram? Metro? Train? Bus? this, but it could be other means of public transport as well Bicycle? Motorbike/scooter? By walking? On horseback? | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 170 Registered: 10-2011 |
Time tables relevant? And, just to make a leap: Seasons relevant? Weather relevant? Days of the week relevant? Hannah's profession relevant? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2225 Registered: 12-2010 |
Time tables relevant? yes And, just to make a leap: Seasons relevant? Weather relevant? Days of the week relevant? no to all Hannah's profession relevant? no | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 897 Registered: 6-2009 |
Does the bus journey cost more to go to Springfield? Is the condition of the bus or people on the bus relevant? The journey between her house and the bus stop which she gets on relevant? The journey between the bus stop which she gets off and the supermarket relevant? Do buses for Shelbyville leave at a more convenient time? Does it take shorter to get to Shelbyville by bus? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2226 Registered: 12-2010 |
Does the bus journey cost more to go to Springfield? Is the condition of the bus or people on the bus relevant? The journey between her house and the bus stop which she gets on relevant? The journey between the bus stop which she gets off and the supermarket relevant? Do buses for Shelbyville leave at a more convenient time? Does it take shorter to get to Shelbyville by bus? no to all | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 174 Registered: 10-2011 |
Is it relevant what else Hannah spends her days doing? Does she take different buses at different occations? Does the bus she takes sometimes pass Shelbyville and sometimes not? Is the length of the bus journey relevant? Is the departing time of the bus relevant? Is the arrival time of the bus relevant? Does Hannah think ahead? Like, think of the bus she will have to take from the supermarket when she jumps on the bus to the supermarket? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2228 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is it relevant what else Hannah spends her days doing? no Does she take different buses at different occations? noish Does the bus she takes sometimes pass Shelbyville and sometimes not? no Is the length of the bus journey relevant? no Is the departing time of the bus relevant? yes Is the arrival time of the bus relevant? no Does Hannah think ahead? Like, think of the bus she will have to take from the supermarket when she jumps on the bus to the supermarket? no | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 177 Registered: 10-2011 |
The departing time from the supermarket? Or the departing time from whereever she starts when going TO the supermarket? Or both? Does she sometimes miss the bus? Or does she always go by the bus she planned to? | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 4528 Registered: 9-2009 |
I took her to a supermarket I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there. I said pretend you've got no money, she just laughed and said oh you're so funny. I said yeah? Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here. Does the bus times fit better at one market? If so: doe the bus to get there fit better? Does the bus home fit better? Does the interval between the two buses fit better? If so, does the interval at one market: make her stress? Make her wait? buy more? Or less? Did she also spend twice as much money at the most visited supermarket? Meeting someone on the public transport relevant? Or avoiding someone? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2231 Registered: 12-2010 |
The departing time from the supermarket? no Or the departing time from whereever she starts when going TO the supermarket? yes Or both? so, no Does she sometimes miss the bus? FA Or does she always go by the bus she planned to? important FA, good that you made it (: I took her to a supermarket I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there. I said pretend you've got no money, she just laughed and said oh you're so funny. I said yeah? Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here. ... but she didn't understand, she just smiled and held my hand (one of my favourite song moments ever!) Does the bus times fit better at one market? If so: doe the bus to get there fit better? Does the bus home fit better? Does the interval between the two buses fit better? If so, does the interval at one market: make her stress? Make her wait? buy more? Or less? no to all of these Did she also spend twice as much money at the most visited supermarket? yes Meeting someone on the public transport relevant? Or avoiding someone? no to these | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 179 Registered: 10-2011 |
Is she a bus driver? Is her age relevant? Is she one of those elderly women who gets driven around in private buses? Does she never actually plan to go by bus, it just turns out that way? Is it a regular, public bus? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2242 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is she a bus driver? no Is her age relevant? no Is she one of those elderly women who gets driven around in private buses? no Does she never actually plan to go by bus, it just turns out that way? no, but definitely OTRT Is it a regular, public bus? yes | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 2266 Registered: 2-2011 |
does she just go and wait for a bus, and whichever one comes first, that's the one she takes? and the Shelbyville bus tends to come before the Springfield one? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2244 Registered: 12-2010 |
does she just go and wait for a bus, and whichever one comes first, that's the one she takes? yes!! and the Shelbyville bus tends to come before the Springfield one? ... but no | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 1766 Registered: 9-2009 |
Are the two buses arriving / stopping at the same station? Is one of them stopping less often? (Let's say, one arrives every ten minutes, one every hour)? Does she go there in the evening? In the afternoon? In the morning? In the middle of the night? Relevant? | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 2269 Registered: 2-2011 |
do both buses stop at the same place? or does she have to catch one on one side of the road and the other on te other? and sometimes she can't get across the road? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2245 Registered: 12-2010 |
Are the two buses arriving / stopping at the same station? yes Is one of them stopping less often? no (Let's say, one arrives every ten minutes, one every hour)? Does she go there in the evening? In the afternoon? In the morning? In the middle of the night? Relevant? irrel do both buses stop at the same place? yes or does she have to catch one on one side of the road and the other on te other? and sometimes she can't get across the road? no, but a good idea | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 2278 Registered: 2-2011 |
does she get on the bus which a friend also takes? or where she knows the driver? or is the first bus that comes sometimes a little crowded? is the fare the same? maybe she gets on the bus where she has the right change? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2247 Registered: 12-2010 |
does she get on the bus which a friend also takes? no or where she knows the driver? no or is the first bus that comes sometimes a little crowded? irrel is the fare the same? yes maybe she gets on the bus where she has the right change? no Except for the departing time there's nothing relevant about the buses. Remember that she always takes the first one that comes. | ||
| Shez (Shez)
New member Username: Shez Post Number: 2281 Registered: 2-2011 |
does she always leave to go shopping after a favourite TV or radion programme finishes, so she always arrives at the bus stop in time for one particular bus? does she always leave hom at a particular time? after a particular event? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2249 Registered: 12-2010 |
does she always leave to go shopping after a favourite TV or radion programme finishes, so she always arrives at the bus stop in time for one particular bus? good idea but no does she always leave hom at a particular time? no, good question after a particular event? no | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 4532 Registered: 9-2009 |
Are there more buses going one way than the other? More buses going one way during a relevant period of time? Does she always go on the same day of the week? | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2259 Registered: 12-2010 |
Are there more buses going one way than the other? no More buses going one way during a relevant period of time? yope Does she always go on the same day of the week? irrel | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2260 Registered: 12-2010 |
HINT: Both busses come twice an hour. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15659 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is the interval between buses different? Is the interval from a Springfield bus arriving to a Shelbyville bus arriving twice as long as vice versa? So anyone coming at a random time and getting on the first bus would go to Shelbyville? (Say if the Shelbyville buses came at :20 and :50, while the Springfield buses came at :30 and :00 -- two-thirds of the time you'd hit a Shelbyville bus first) | ||
| Doriana (Doriana)
New member Username: Doriana Post Number: 2261 Registered: 12-2010 |
Is the interval between buses different? Is the interval from a Springfield bus arriving to a Shelbyville bus arriving twice as long as vice versa? So anyone coming at a random time and getting on the first bus would go to Shelbyville? (Say if the Shelbyville buses came at :20 and :50, while the Springfield buses came at :30 and :00 -- two-thirds of the time you'd hit a Shelbyville bus first) YES!!! ********SPOILER******** Hannah goes grocery shopping by bus. She goes to the bus stop at random times and just takes the bus that come first. Buses to Springfield leave at :00 and :30, buses to Shelbyville leave at :20 and :50. Since the interval from a Springfield bus to a Shelbyville bus is twice as long, she has a 2/3 chance of hitting a Shelbyville bus. Thanks for playing, nice work (: | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 15664 Registered: 4-2010 |
Nice, simple, clever -- good one! | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 1906 Registered: 6-2008 |
For those who care: One day a long time ago, while waiting for a bus, I posed myself the problem of what bus schedule minimizes the average waiting time. I concluded that it is best to have the buses come by at regular intervals, so if there are n buses per hour, there should be exactly 1/n hours between buses. You might think that the shorter wait times during short intervals would balance out the longer times during longer intervals, as long as there are a fixed number of buses per hour, but this isn't true. To prove this to yourself, imagine that there are two buses per hour. In scenario A, they come every half hour, so the maximum wait time is just under 30 minutes, and the minimum is zero minutes, for an average of about 15 minutes. In scenario B, they come very close together (say, at :00 and :01). In the long interval, the maximum wait time is a little under 59 minutes, and the minimum is again zero, for an average between 29 and 30 minutes. The slight chance of arriving between :00 and :01, and having to wait at most a minute, will lower the average somewhat, but certainly not enough to cut it in half! | ||
| Jondahr (Jondahr)
New member Username: Jondahr Post Number: 193 Registered: 10-2011 |
I might care, if I was anywhere near able to wrap my mind around that. My admiration for having the kind of mind that can think that up, though. Anyway, good puzzle! And as a result of this, I've had Pulp buzzing in my head for two weeks. Can. Not. Get. It. Out! |
