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#1 2005-07-01 04:41:55
- mathsyperson
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- Registered: 2005-06-22
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Crooked Clocks
Alfred, Benjamin, Cuthbert, Donald, Ernie and Fred each have a special clock, and they all have a special property.
They all have a butler who hears the church bell chime the hour and so rushes around to set each clock to the correct time, since they mostly don't keep it themselves...
Alfred's clock shows the correct time.
Benjamin's clock has lost 2 hours and 5 minutes since being set.
Cuthbert's clock runs at half-speed.
Donald's clock is broken.
Ernie's clock gains 10 minutes every hours.
Fred's clock works backwards.
At the moment, the clocks read 10:30, 5:30, 12:45, 7:05, 3:25 and 8:00, in no particular order.
What is the time now?
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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#2 2005-07-03 22:52:34
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Crooked Clocks
I kind of understand BUT if the butler hears the church bell chime the hour, how can one clock (Benjamins) be more than one hour wrong. Do we assume the church bell does not chime at night?
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
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#3 2005-07-04 04:04:19
- mathsyperson
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the butler only did that once. This means that the amount of time passed since he did that could be, and is, more than an hour. Also, the clocks are all analogue, so they display 12-hour time.
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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#4 2005-07-04 20:26:16
- Jai Ganesh
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Clue No.1 :- First, figure out what time the clocks were set
It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.
Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.
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#5 2007-03-16 17:46:49
- JaneFairfax
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Re: Crooked Clocks
5:30.
You only need the first two clues. Then just look at which two times differ by 2 hours 5 minutes.
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#6 2007-03-17 00:01:54
- mathsyperson
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Heh, nice solution. I completely missed that.
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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#7 2007-03-17 10:15:08
- justlookingforthemoment
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Going green now, mathsy? 
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#8 2007-03-17 10:28:06
- lightning
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Re: Crooked Clocks
going blue justlookingforthemoment? 
and our colours match our avatar strange but cool
Last edited by lightning (2007-03-17 10:29:16)
Zappzter - New IM app! Unsure of which room to join? "ZNU" is made to help new users. c:
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#9 2007-03-17 10:51:32
- mathsyperson
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Going green now, mathsy?
It's to celebrate St. Patrick's day. So going by Greenwich Mean Time, I've got about an hour of greenity left. 
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
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#10 2007-03-17 10:57:08
- justlookingforthemoment
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Ohh right! That makes a lot of sense! Happy St Pat's Day.
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#11 2007-03-17 10:57:14
- JaneFairfax
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Re: Crooked Clocks
Ooh
And Ireland sooo almost won the Six Nations today. What a shame. 
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#12 2007-03-17 21:57:15
- lightning
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Re: Crooked Clocks
i think i will go wait let me see if theres gold.....
happy st patrick dayhappy patricks day
Zappzter - New IM app! Unsure of which room to join? "ZNU" is made to help new users. c:
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