You gotta be nuts! Impossible!

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Hey, you know when you have just left Irenicus's dungeon to Waukeen's Promenade, and into the circus tent quest (to get Aerie)? Hey when the genie asks that first question (something about a prince and a princess), I know the answer is 3, but I wonder if anyone knows how to resolve that thing. I gave that thing to my math teacher, but he hasn't told me how to do it yet. Can anyone do it?

 

I did myself, but it was a LONG time ago... Post the riddle and I'll see if I can do it again.

 

"A princess is as old as the prince will be when the princess is twice as old as the prince was when the princess' age was half the sum of their present age. Which of the following, then, could be true?
1- Prince is 20, princess 30
2- Prince is 40, princess 30
3- Prince is 30, princess 40 *
4- Prince is 30, princess 20
5- They are both the same age.
6- I surely don't know."
There ya go.

 

Let me see if I can remember correctly...I think you take each answer individually and apply it to the problem, doing it backwards.

Like...

this is a screwed up problem. I totally forgot. But you just apply each answer to the problem and work it out, that's how I got it...if not from pure guesswork.

 

TADAHHHHHHH! New keyboard

Just backtrack the whole riddle using variables x,y and z. Put every sentence down in a mathematical equation. And solve.
Princess age =x
Prince age= y

Backtracking:

1/2(x+y)=C=Princess YEAR-A age

m= 2*(prince YEAR-A age)=princess YEAR-B age
x= Prince Year-B age.

then just try the solutions one at a time. Even easier when its narrowed down to a few possibilities.

 

*rubs my head*

Oh, my..... How old are you, Mr Physicist?


[This message has been edited by Tiamat (edited September 02, 2001).]

 

Nobleman - were you that smart before the new keyboard? I am impressed! 8-)

 

Now i remember why i majored in English Literature... yeesh, nice algebraic skills! Is the xp greater for getting the question right on the first whack i wonder? Should be. I wish there was an answer to the genie which read "not half as old as you're never going to be after i'm through with you, genie." I wonder if my Skald can distribute some of his useless pickpocketing points to algebra instead?

 

Yes, actually, you do get more experience for getting it right the first time. If you answer the above question correctly you get 19500xp. If you get it wrong, he tells you the answer then asks you another question for which you only get 14500xp.

 

That's good experience for the beginning of the game too. For anyone who has had to take the SAT, this reminds me of a problem type from the math section.

 

Nobleman, another impossible question:

Why where your school results so bad when you have an intelligence of 18?

 

he may have the fluky rolling skills but he has no schooling marks!!

 

Thx guys. I have no words...
I dunno Headbanger. No discipline I guess.

 

Hey Nobleman, thanks. That was pretty good.

 

And with no possible solutions given? I knew the riddle before (magazine) but have never been able to solve it (no possible answers given!).

 

Set Princess age as 1 and prince name as 1 in the formula. And work your way up.

 

Let's consider this from a roleplay angle. The genie asks you to give an immediate answer. You can't write anything down. So if you're smart enough you should be able to do it..... (I'm not saying I could)

 

Why do you need to know how to resolve it?
I never did. I took what looked most "true" and what fitted best.
You could also simply save the game before you talked to him, and then start with answer number 1. If it was not right, simply take number 2, and so on.
Sorry, I just keep talking... I know this was no help at all, but I wanted to show you the way of doing it without math...

//Zaragoth

 

Yeah, I know Zaragoth, I did it just like you said. Saved before I talked to him and kept trying till I got the right answer. I just asked for curiosity.

 

Umm..., I bet most people do the single way against the riddle rather than twisting their mind, including me of course.