Before giving the answer to last week’s Micro Softy featuring the blind ticket seller, I am offering a short and simple puzzle about the lowly washer. A washer is a small flat doughnut-shaped ring made of metal, rubber, or plastic. It is fixed under a nut or the head of a bolt to spread the pressure when the bolt is tightened.
Here’s the question: When a metal washer (pictured at right) is heated and expands, does the hole in the middle get bigger or smaller? Next week’s post will give the answer. Sms Fabric For Ppe
Note: If you experiment with a washer, pliers and a blow torch, be careful not to get burned. 😉
Solution to Micro Softy 14: The Blind Ticket Seller
Here’s the puzzle from last week:
At Grand Central Station, Claire approached a ticket seller who was blind. When he asked, “Where to?” she replied, “Piscataway.” The tickets were 40 cents and Claire gave him a dollar. Without another word, he handed her two tickets and 20 cents in change. Claire, accompanied by her mute twin brother Tom, took the tickets and walked to the train platform. The question is, how did the blind ticket seller know that Claire needed two tickets without any further communication?
It’s easy to assume that Claire gave the ticket seller a paper dollar. But then the seller would have to ask “How much is this?” A one-dollar bill feels the same as a five-dollar bill. But if Claire gave the ticket seller four quarters instead of a paper dollar, the answer to the puzzle is obvious. If Claire had wanted one ticket, she would have offered two quarters and received a dime in change. And four quarters is not enough to buy three tickets. So she must want two. The ticket seller is experienced and smart enough to figure this out.
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