| Index | Recent Threads | Unanswered Threads | Who's Active | Guidelines | Search |
 |
World Community Grid Forums
Category: Community
Forum: Chat Room
Thread: Weekend Puzzles |
| No member browsing this thread |
|
Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 361
|
|
| Author |
|
|
adriverhoef
Master Cruncher The Netherlands Joined: Apr 3, 2009 Post Count: 2346 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
Hey everybody,
Yet another math puzzle with six figures to reach a target number. The six figures are: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 75. The target number is: 382. There are many possibilities, so it should be easy. If you show and post one of the solutions, there is no man overboard, there will be plenty left, if you ask me. Happy participating! Adri |
||
|
|
alanb1951
Veteran Cruncher Joined: Jan 20, 2006 Post Count: 1316 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
Adri,
I've had an hour or so looking at this and have three possibilities (and lots of near misses) so far. I suspect there are more to be found, and would be interested to know how many you know about... Cheers - Al. |
||
|
|
adriverhoef
Master Cruncher The Netherlands Joined: Apr 3, 2009 Post Count: 2346 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Hi Al,
Spent quite some time looking for as many solutions as I could and came up with 7 so far. Adri |
||
|
|
Bryn Mawr
Senior Cruncher Joined: Dec 26, 2018 Post Count: 384 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
Hi Al, Spent quite some time looking for as many solutions as I could and came up with 7 so far. Adri Here's one I like, 75×5=375 +7=382 +4×2-8=382 |
||
|
|
alanb1951
Veteran Cruncher Joined: Jan 20, 2006 Post Count: 1316 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
I liked the 75*5+7 start too; you can get 4 distinct arrangements of the 2, 4 and 8 that all lead to a zero result :-)
----------------------------------------I wonder if Adri reckons those are 4 separate answers -- if so I've got 8, otherwise 5... Cheers - Al. [Edit - found another one! adjusted above...] [Edit 1 times, last edit by alanb1951 at Nov 10, 2025 4:19:33 PM] |
||
|
|
adriverhoef
Master Cruncher The Netherlands Joined: Apr 3, 2009 Post Count: 2346 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 75 => 382
----------------------------------------Here's the solution, or rather all solutions that I've found (so far). There may be more. Solutions should be non-commutative. There is an easy way to reach 375: 5 × 75. You can then reach 382 by adding 8 and subtracting 1: 75 × 5 + 8 + 4 + 2 - 7 = 382. You can also reach 382 directly by adding 7 and zero (using 2, 4 and 8): 8 / 2 - 4 or 4 - 8 / 2 8 / 4 - 2 or 2 - 8 / 4 8 - 4 × 2 or 4 × 2 - 8 You can also reach 382 directly by adding 7 multiplied by 1 (again using 2, 4 and 8): 75 × 5 + 7 × 4 × 2 / 8 = 382.Another way to achieve 382 is adding 2 to 75 and go from there: （75 + 2） × 5 - 7 - 4 + 8 = 382.Adding 4 to 75 is also a way to achieve our goal: （75 + 4） × 5 - 8 - 7 + 2 = 382.FINALE. And what about this one: （75 + （8 - 7）^4） × 5 + 2 = 382. There are probably more ways.  Thanks for participating, especially if you solved the puzzle.  Or if you didn't.  Adri PS There was also a way to reach 382 without using 75: 8 ×（5 + 7）× 4 - 2 = 382.But that wasn't the objective.  [Edit 1 times, last edit by adriverhoef at Nov 12, 2025 11:33:32 AM] |
||
|
|
alanb1951
Veteran Cruncher Joined: Jan 20, 2006 Post Count: 1316 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Adri,
----------------------------------------I stopped enumerating ways of turning 375 into 382 once I'd seen a few. I must admit I hadn't thought of using (8-7)^4 to hit 380 -- should've spotted that one For an oddball solution, how about starting from 448 (8^2 × 7), thus... 8^2 × 7 + 4 + 5 - 75 Everything else I came up with was one of the others you listed above. If anyone found a way of using 75/5 (for 15) they've done better than I did! Thank you for an interesting puzzle! Cheers - Al. [Edit 2 times, last edit by alanb1951 at Nov 12, 2025 12:04:35 PM] |
||
|
|
Sgt.Joe
Ace Cruncher USA Joined: Jul 4, 2006 Post Count: 7844 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
|
I liked Bryn Mawr's solution because it was also the first one I arrived at, but he found it first. After actually figuring out a solution, I just was not that interested in finding any others, although it would have been a good brain exercise. Just too busy.
----------------------------------------Thanks for the puzzle. Cheers.
Sgt. Joe
*Minnesota Crunchers* |
||
|
|
adriverhoef
Master Cruncher The Netherlands Joined: Apr 3, 2009 Post Count: 2346 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Hi all, are you ready for this weekend's puzzle?
2 → %2% → 4 What is the value of the question mark? Adri |
||
|
|
alanb1951
Veteran Cruncher Joined: Jan 20, 2006 Post Count: 1316 Status: Offline Project Badges:
|
Adri,
Thanks for providing this -- interesting, as always. I think I've got this one, but, as per usual(!), I can't think of any non-spoiler way to hint at my answer... Cheers - Al |
||
|
|
|