3 Jan 2018
DECEMBER
There were several worthy contenders – you know who you are – for our final top award of 2017. But, after much deliberation and heated debate, our judging panel was most impressed (and amazed) by the details of an answer given for the bonus question in week 3. A festive well done, so, to:
Thierry Montcalm of Soucy Caoutchouc our new Brainiac of the Month
Wishing all ERJ Brainteaser readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Question 4: Missing letters
R, _, B, Q, _, B, K, R
Answer: Check and checkmate as some but not all of our readers identified this as the order of pieces on a chess board with K for ‘knight’ and K for ‘king’ the missing letters.
Well done is order of answer-arrival to: David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Fatima Bhatti, Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; Jon Cutler, materials development manager, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Tewkesbury, UK; Hans-Bernd Lüchtefeld, market research & communication manager, PHP Fibers GmbH, Obernburg, Germany; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK - and everyone else who had a go.
Question 3: Sarah & Sally's skyscrapers
Sarah and Sally build scale models of their company's new HQ building from clay. Both models are solid and mathematically similar. Sarah used 625 cm3 (centimetres cubed) of clay and Sally used 40 cm3 of clay. Given that Sarah's model is 21cm taller than Sally's, what is the total height of Sarah's model?
The answer was 35cm and well done to: John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada.
Bonus question: What have Simón Bolívar, Greta Garbo, Genghis Khan, Nelson Mandela and Mao Zedong in common?
Answer: The official answer for the bonus question was that they all appear on banknotes and well done again to David Mann and to Hans-Bernd Lüchtefeld, market research & communication manager, PHP Fibers GmbH, Industrie Center, Obernburg, Germany.
Amazingly however, it appears that this diverse group of famous people have each also been used to name organisms, as Thierry Montcalm, Stephen Fulton, David Mann, and John Bowen replied.
Thierry provided full details:
Simon Bolivar a frog (Eleutherodactylus simonbolivari)
Greta Garbo a wasp (Rostropria garbo)
Gengis Khan a dinosaur (Jenghizkhan)
Nelson Mendala a sea slug (Mandelia)
Mao Zedong an extinct mammal (Maotherium)
Question 2: Lucy’s lot
After a small win on the lottery, Lucy decided to spend all €349 on fashion items. She bought five items, a jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and shoes. No two items cost the same and each was priced exactly to the euro. What is the maximum price of the cheapest item?
Answer: Not the most difficult of teasers: more of a nice, easy start to this week. Anyway, well done to everyone who answered €67 in the following order: David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; Fatima Bhatti, Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Sharon Bas, RCMA Rubber. RCMA Europe BV, Zaandam, The Netherland; John Bowen, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Hans-Bernd Lüchtefeld, market research & communication manager, PHP Fibers GmbH, Industrie Center Obernburg, Obernburg, Germany; Jose Padron, material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; Ian Brooker, HB Chemical Corp., Twinsburg, Ohio, USA.
Question 1: Long way home
On his way from home to the office, Steve drives at an average speed of 50km/hour. That evening it was raining quite heavily, so he took a longer route home because it has better roads. On the return journey, Steve drives an extra 23km, his average speed is 6 km/hr higher and the journey took an extra 15 minutes. How long did Steve's return journey take?
Answer: First home with the correct answer, 1 hour 45 minutes, were: Dave Lawson, global product change coordinator, Dow Corning Ltd, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, UK; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany; Jose Padron, material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; Fatima Bhatti of Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; Hans-Bernd Lüchtefeld, market research & communication manager, PHP Fibers GmbH, Obernburg, Germany; Manish Agrawal, C.J.Shah & Co., Mumbai, India; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada.
Extra marks to John Bowen for his concise number-crunching: Let direct distance = D, initial time = t hours. Then initially t = D/50 hrs, and for alternative route [t + 0.25] = [D + 23]/56. Rearranging these 2 equations gives: [D + 23]]/56 - D/50 = 0.25, and 50D + 1150 - 56D = 700. Therefore 6D = 450 and D = 75km and the longer distance was 75 +23 = 98km. So, time to return was 98/56 hrs or 1.75 hrs.
NOVEMBER
There were several strong contenders for this month's top award. After much deliberation, our judges decided that the honour should go to the first to answer Question 1 as this had the highest degree of difficulty.
Well deserved congratulations, so, to our new Brainiac of the Month:
Yuichi (Joe) Sano of Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd
Question 4: Four flags
We asked readers for the connection, this year, between these flags and gave some clues during the week:
Clues: Sport, Women’s, Wimbledon...
Answer: Game, set and match this week to David Mann, who came up with the connection first thing Monday morning – well before anyone else. These are the national flags of the winners of the four women's Grand Slam tennis tournaments in 2017: Australian Open: Serena Williams, USA; French Open: Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia; Wimbledon: Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain; and US Open: Sloane Stephens, USA.
This proved a bit tougher than we expected, so very well done to: David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Jose Padron, material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy. (A special mention also for Fatima Bhatti of Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan who was on the right track with a couple of possible connections.)
Question 3: Connected numbers
What have these numbers in common?
1531, 1682, 1758, 2061
Answer: Halley's Comet. which passes by Earth about every 75 years and is next projected to return in 2061. It is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who examined reports of a comet approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682 and correctly predicted its return in 1758.
Not exactly rocket science, but the answer to this week’s Teaser did pass by some of our regular Brainiacs. Extra well done, so, to: John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Fatima Bhatti, Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge Belgium; Jose Padron, material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Québec, Canada; Liz O’Donovan, AA Tyremaster, sales + admin, Dublin, Ireland; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan; Jon Cutler, materials development manager, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Tewkesbury, UK;Ujjwal Kumar, manager – product development, ATC Tires Pvt. Ltd. (member of Alliance Tire Group), Mumbai, India; Doug Riley, marketing specialist – healthcare, Sempermed USA Inc., Clearwater, Florida, USA; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composite, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany.
Question 2: Triangular teaser
Can you find the missing number in the diagram above?
(Bonus question: From 100 people attending a party, 90 speak Spanish, 80 speak Italian and 75 speak English. At least how many speak all three languages?)
Answer: Fairly plain sailing this week. Well done to everyone who answered 3 ( and 45 for the bonus question): John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Dimitri Aslanidis, AMS Forces Ltd, Bedrijven Centrum Leuven, Research Park Haasrode, Leuven-Haasrode, Belgium; Ian Brooker, HB Chemical Corp., Twinsburg, Ohio, USA; Doug Riley, marketing specialist – healthcare, Sempermed USA Inc., Clearwater, Florida, USA; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; Franz Hochwimmer, sales & support inspection systems, Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Ortenburg, Germany; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Itami, Japan, Tony Cutler, principal, mining tire solutions, OTR Global, Australia.
Question 1: Tricky trucks
Truck driver Bill leaves tire factory X with a delivery for factory Y. At exactly the same time, his colleague Mike left factory Y on his way to factory X. After passing each other on the motorway at point Z, it took Bill another 9 hours to reach factory Y, and Mike 4 hours to reach factory X. If both drove at constant speed throughout their journeys, and Bill drove at 36 miles/hour, how fast was Mike going?
Answer: Not for the first time, Marzio Bussola has provided a concise explanation of the answer: tBILL = XZ/36, tMIKE = ZY/vMIKE, and XZ * vMIKE = 36 * ZY. But ZY is also = 9 h * 36 miles/h = 324 miles and XZ = vMIKE * 4. After replacement in the first equivalence gives (vMIKE)2 = 2916 so that vMIKE = 54 miles/hour.
Our question-setter was, I think, in a mean mood this week, so extra well done to: Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Hyogo, Japan; Dimitri Aslanidis, AMS Forces Ltd, Leuven-Haasrode, Belgium; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; John Bowen, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; and of course Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy.
OCTOBER
To mark the increasingly global appeal of the ERJ Brainteaser competition, this month’s award goes jointly to three newer entrants from different world regions, who have performed strongly over the past few weeks.
Congratulations to our latest Brainiac of the Month title holders:
Fatima Bhatti of Polymer Access in Pakistan; Ralf Ortmayr, Toyo Tire Europe, Germany; and Jose Padron, Waterville TG, Canada.
Question 4: Painting puzzle
Working at full speed, it took Ian 1 hour to paint a wall. As the next wall would take him 80% longer to paint, Ian enlisted help from Dave and Bruce. If each of them can only paint at half Ian's rate, approximately how long will it take all three - working at their maximum rate - to paint the second wall together?
Answer: As neatly explained by Jose Padron the answer is: Dave’s rate = 0.5 Ian’s rate Bruce’s rate = 0.5 Ian’s rate, The total rate is 2 times Ian’s rate, So, 1.8/2.0 or 0.9 hours or 54 minutes
Well done (in order of reply) to: Fatima Bhatti, Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; John Droogan advanced polymers and composite, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Jose Padron, material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Ujjwal Kumar, manager – product development, ATC Tires Pvt. Ltd, member of Alliance Tire Group, Lower Parel, Mumbai, India; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan; Ashley Croft, group supply chain director, Stapleton's (Tyre Services) Ltd, Avenue One, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK; T N Dahal, rubber technologist, Nepal.
Question 3: Extra special sequence
Fill in the missing number in the following sequence: 34, 55, 89, _, 233, 377
Answer: The answer is 144 and well done to everyone who recognised this as a Fibonacci number sequence.
Correct replies came flying in, in the following order, from: John Droogan, advanced polymers and composite, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; Liz O’Donovan, sales, AAtyremaster, Dublin, Ireland; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Alexander Mamikonyan, chief of export department, Empils-zinc Ltd, Russia; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Itami, Japan; Jose Padron, spécialiste en développement de materiaux/ material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; Ian Brooker, HB Chemical Corp., Twinsburg, Ohio, USA; Risto Vettenranta, technical specialist, Ham-Re OY, Neuvoton, Finland; Aneta Skowron, ZCh Siarkopol, Poland; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Sebastian Barbe, group operations manager, Hans Barbe, Chemische Erzeugnisse GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany. (Be warned, our question-setter is out for revenge next week!)
Question 2: Special sequence
Complete the five number sequence, starting 1, 10, 11…
Answer: We are talking binary code here for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 so the answer is 1, 10, 11, 100, 101. Well done to: John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Jose Padron, spécialiste en développement de materiaux/material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan.
Question 1: True or false?
Leyla says Mary is a liar. Mary says Gill is a liar. Gill says Mary and Leyla are both liars. If each of the three girls either always tell the truth or always lie; who is telling the truth?
Answer: The answer is Mary, as neatly explained by Marzio Gussola: Because Gill affirmation that Mary and Leyla are both liars is in contradiction with one of the following mentioned affirmations: Leyla says Mary is a liar; Mary says Gill is a liar. It means that Gill is a liar as Mary says, so Mary isn't a liar and, for consequence, Leyla is a liar. So, only Mary is telling the truth.
Well done to Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Jose Padron, Spécialiste en développement de materiaux/material development specialist, Waterville TG Inc., Waterville, Québec, Canada.
SEPTEMBER
The stand-out performance this month came with Question 3: the winner making the connection straight away after just two clues well ahead of only two other readers to come up with that week's answer. Well deserved congratulations go to John Bowen our new Brainiac of the Month.
Question 5: Code challenge
Simon has, yet again, forgotten the four-character code for his bicycle lock. He remembers that it had four characters, three digits from 0 to 9, the other a letter of the alphabet. If he tries different combinations at the rate of five a minute and works for 8 hours a day every day, how long will it take for Simon to try out all the combinations possible for the code?
Answer: The correct answer is 10 days, 6 hours, 40 minutes. Well done in order of receipt to: David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; and David Marbry, codes and standards engineer, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA
Question 4: Pallet puzzle
A rubber parts manufacturer can place 8 large cases or 10 small cases onto a pallet for shipping. For one recent shipment, the company sent a total of 96 cases. If there are more large cases than small cases, how many pallets did it ship?
Answer: The correct answer was 11, and great to see a mix of regular, returning and new names on our winners’ podium. Well done to: Liz O’Donovan sales/admin, AAtyremaster Dublin, Ireland; John Bowen, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Thierry Montcalm, R&D Chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Tony Cutler, principal, mining tire solutions, OTR Global; Rifat Kamhi, board member, Standard Profil, Istanbul; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Ian Brooker, HB Chemical Corp.,Twinsburg, Ohio, USA;
Question 3: Connect 5
Find the connection between: Pluto, Rio, Irma, Bonn, Baseball...
Answer: Only three readers spotted that these had all been downgraded or lost status as respectively: a planet, capital city, level 5 hurricane, capital city, Olympic sport. We had a clear winner in John Bowen who came up with the correct answer straight away on Monday – after just two clues.
Well done this week to: John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; and Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan.
Question 2: Alan's dilemma
On a heavy snowy day, rubber technician Alan is about to drive to his work. But before that, he wants to check if the plant is open. He calls three random colleagues and asks each if the plant is open. Each colleague has a 2/3 chance of telling the truth and a 1/3 chance of joking with Alan by lying. All 3 friends tell him that the plant is open. What is the probability that the factory is actually open?
Answer:
This was another tough one judging by the wide range of answers. Many thanks to everyone who replied. The official answer, as concisely explained by John Bowen is 26/27 - [1-[1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3]] = 1-1/27 = 26/27. (Another interpretation put the probability at 8/9, which after much deliberation and heated debate our judges decided is also acceptable).
Well done to: John Bowen, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK (26/27); David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France (8/9); Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada (8/9); Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy (26/27); Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Hyogo, Japan (26/27).
Question 1: City sequence
Complete this sequence of eight capital cities: Harare 16, Kigali 14...
Answer: Bit of a tough one this week: it was three days before anyone identified this as a sequence of the world’s highest (above sea level, that is) capital cities: starting with 16th highest Harare, then Kigali 14th, Windhoek 12th, Nairobi 10th, Mexico City 8th, Asmara 6th, Bogota 4th and Quito 2nd. At an altitude of 3640 metres, Bolivia’s capital La Paz (let’s ignore Sucre) is the world’s highest city.
First to the summit was David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France, who came up with the correct answer on Wednesday, followed Thursday by John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Doug Riley, marketing specialist – healthcare, Sempermed USA Inc., Clearwater, Florida, USA; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada and Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Itami, Japan. Well done to our top brainiacs, and everyone else who had a go...
AUGUST
Every now and then we like to chose a winner from among the newcomers to the ERJ Brainteaser. With congratulations, our elite band are now joined by:
of VMI and Alan Bickley of Weir Group, our new joint Brainiacs of the Month >>
Question 4: Find the polymer
This week we gave readers photo of iconic landmarks from three major cities as clues to identifying a particular type of polymer.
Answer: Maybe the question title was a bit misleading, as this teaser proved more difficult for readers than we expected. Thanks for all the great guesses, though not sure why so many went for ‘cement’. Anyway, proving it could be done and quite quickly was David Mann, who early on Tuesday correctly answered liquid silicone rubber (LSR) from the first letters of two of the names of the three cities London and Sydney, followed on Wednesday by Rome.
Well done to: David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; John Droogan, Advanced Polymers and Composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot • Monmouthshire, UK; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Alan Bickley, director, Weir Advanced Research Centre, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, Scotland; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada.
Question 3: Wonky Watches
To mark his birthday, Walter resets his two old-style, analogue watches to the correct time, precisely at midnight on 14 Aug. One watch gains a minute every hour, while the other loses two minutes every hour. When will both of Walter's watches next show the correct time?
Answer: Well done to the following readers who worked out the answer as midnight on 13th September: John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Itami, Japan; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Partheban Manoharan, PhD scholar, rubber technology centre, Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, WestBengal, India; Wilco Vessies, project manager, VMI Group, Epe, The Netherlands; Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada.
Question 2: Anyone for tennis?
A sports equipment manufacturer has built a solid, equilateral pyramid out of tennis balls for its stand at a trade exhibition. If one side of the bottom layer of the pyramid has 12 tennis balls, how many are there in the whole pyramid?
(Bonus question: What is the minimum number of strokes needed to win a set in tennis?)
Answer: The official answer to the main question is 354 balls, but our judging panel also accepted 650, as the question allows for the possibility of a square base. Only one answer, though, for the bonus question: 12 strokes (4 points in 3 service games), as the opponent could double fault throughout the set.
Extra well done to: John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK (650/12); Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S Jegindøvej, Viborg, Denmark (650); David Mann, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France (650/12); Ian. P. Jones, managing director, Continental division Contitech, Power Transmission Group, ContiTech UK Ltd, Wigan, UK (365); Wilco Vessies, project manager, VMI Group, Epe, The Netherlands (364); Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium (364/12); John D Burrows, consultant, France (364 or 650); John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK (650); Yuichi (Joe) Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Japan (364/12); Partheban Manoharan, PhD Scholar, Rubber Technology Centre, Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, WestBengal, India (364/12); Thierry Montcalm, R&D chemist, Soucy Caoutchouc, Canada; Alan Bickley, director, Weir Advanced Research Centre, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, Scotland (650/12); Karl Heinz Sandholzer, product management vice president, Saurer Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Kempten, Germany (650).
Question 1: Number puzzle
If
532 = 151022
924 = 183652
863 = 482466
545 = 202541
then 955 = ???
Answer: Well done to the following readers who came up with the correct answer 454585: Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; Partheban Manoharan, PhD student, Rubber Technology Centre, Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, WestBengal, India; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany; Yuichi “Joe” Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Japan; Rintaroh Akiyama, mark administration office, Intellectual Property Division, Bridgestone Corp, Tokyo, Japan; Sonja Greeve, no details provided; Michael Easton, sales and marketing director, Globus, Manchester, UK; Wilco Vessies, project manager, VMI Group, The Netherlands; Stephen Fulton, R&D technology development manager, Umicore Specialty Materials Brugge NV, Brugge, Belgium; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy.
JULY 2017
Great work, like always, by our staunch readers and fantastic to see new names this month. Our Brainiac of the Month title goes to Yuichi “Jo” Sano of Sumitomo Electric Industry, Japan, who got all four questions right.
Question 4: Number pyramid
Complete the pyramid by replacing ? with the correct number.
1
1 1
2 1
1 2 1 1
1 1 1 2 2 1
? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Answer: 3 1 2 2 1 1 and 1 3 1 1 2 2 2 1. Well done to: Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; Liz O’Donovan, AAtyremaster, Dublin, Ireland; Tilie Gilbert, marketing assistant, Hankook Tyre UK; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Alexander Mamikonyan, head of export dept, Empils-zinc Ltd, Russia; John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Ian. P. Jones, managing director, Continental Division Contitech, power transmission group, ContiTech United Kingdom; Yuichi “Joe” Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Japan; Partheban Manoharan, Ph.D. scholar, Rubber Technology Centre, Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, West Bengal, India; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany;
Question 3: Penalty puzzle
The first team to score in a penalty-kick decider will win the rugby cup final. On average, the Team Green’s kicker is on target two out of three times, while the Team Red kicker has a one-in-two success rate. After winning the toss of a coin, Team Red opts to take the first kick. What is the probability that Team Green will win?
Answer – Rather than 1/3 as so many of you replied, the correct answer was neatly explained by Yuichi "Joe" Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Hyogo, Japan: (1/2 x 2/3)/(1-1/2 x 1/3) = 2/5. Extra well done also to David Mann, manager rubber technology, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France, and Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy, the only other readers to solve our surprisingly tricky puzzle.
Question 2: G plenty
To lighten the mood at a recent summit, some world leaders were invited to a donut-eating competition. Theresa ate a lot of donuts. Angela ate half of Theresa’s amount. Emmanuel ate Angela’s amount divided by 5, but Donald ate 100 donuts, which was 20 times Emmanuel’s amount. Exactly how many donuts did Theresa eat?
Answer: Regulars and not-so-regulars seemed to have little trouble in working out that Theresa wolfed down 50 donuts. (We were half-expecting one answer in via Twitter, but not yet, at least…).
Anyway, well done to: John Droogan, advanced polymers and composites, MegaChem (UK) Ltd, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, UK; David Mann, manager rubber technology, manager rubber technology, SI Group, Béthune, France; Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; Liz O’Donovan, AAtyremaster, Dublin, Ireland; John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Fatima Bhatti, Polymer Access (Pvt) Ltd, Karachi, Pakistan; Michael Simpson, research & development engineer, Trelleborg Industrial AVS, Leicester, UK; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Alexander Mamikonyan, head of export dept, Empils-zinc Ltd, Russia; John Burrows, consultant, France; Sharon Bas, RCMA Rubber, RCMA Europe BV, Zaandam, the Netherlands; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany; Yuichi "Joe" Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd, Japan; Tom Bell, marketing & business services in elastomers, S & T Group LLC, Houston, Texas, USA; Jessie Vukovic, Airboss, Canada.
Question 1: Super sequence
In the sequence 61, 691, 163, 487, 4201… what are the next two numbers?
Answer: Well done to our expert code-breakers, who came back with the correct answers* 9631 and 4441 (prime numbers that when reversed give perfect square numbers) in the following order: John Bowen, consultant, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK; Amparo Botella, Ismael Quesada SA, Spain; Alexander Mamikonyan, head of export department, Empils-zinc Ltd, Russia; Lars Linnemann, R&D manager, Genan A/S, Viborg, Denmark; Marzio Bussola, Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Srl, Italy; Yuichi "Joe" Sano, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Japan; Ralf Ortmayr, senior pricing analyst, Toyo Tire Europe GmbH, Willich, Germany; Juliya Gomilko, marketing manager, Omsk Carbon Group, Russia.
*As Marzio Bussola nicely explained: The five numbers in the sequence have two particular properties:
1. they are prime numbers
2. their digits written in the opposite sense are square numbers.
So 61, 691, 163, 487, 4201 means 16, 196, 361, 784, 1024 whose square roots are 4, 14, 19, 28, 32.
For determining the next terms in the sequence I apply the calculation to the numbers following the last one (32):
33*33 = 1089 but 9801 isn't a prime number
34*34 = 1156 but 6511 isn't a prime number
35*35 = 1225 but 5221 isn't a prime number
36*36 = 1296 but 6921 isn't a prime number
37*37 = 1369 and 9631 is a prime number
38*38 = 1444 and 4441 is a prime number
So the next two numbers in the Super sequence are 9631, 4441.
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