Feeling in the mood to exercise your neurons today? Perfect, because we have a puzzle that shook young minds from the other side of the world, and who might just captivate you! Originally offered to primary school students in China, this baffling math problem challenges even the brightest. The task seemed easy, yet few have found the key to the enigma. Are you ready to take up the gauntlet and solve this mystery by 40 short seconds? Continue reading to try the intellectual adventure!
Deciphering the Secret of Table Height
At first glance, this challenge seems like simple entertainment. However, it is nowhere near as easy as it seems. Before you, a production with unusual actors: a mouseA cat and a table, accompanied by numerical indices. Finding the height of the latter is a trick, but which one? This is where the sting of logic must be sharpened. The measurements indicated are not there for decoration, they are the key that will free you from this enigma.
Need a little help?
Don’t panic, even the most seasoned brains may need a clue or two. In the image that accompanies this test, there are two measurements to take into consideration. The first is thegap of 140 cmwhile the second is 110cm. These measurements illustrate the vertical distance separating our two furry friends in two different situations. To solve the puzzle, we must carefully observe these two scenarios and compare them. So, do you have any idea how high the table is now?
The magic formula revealed
If your mind is still in a fog, here’s the revelation: the table measures exactly 125cm high. But how to arrive at this conclusion? There are two ways to approach the solution. The first is a visual approach: by mentally juxtaposing the two measurements, then adding them, we obtain 250 cm. By dividing this result by two – because we have two measurements for a single table – we arrive at the height of 125cm.
The alternative method, a bit more academic, is based on the creation of equations from the data provided. This technique makes it possible to elucidate the mystery in a mathematical way.
Let’s look at this in detail:
In the first scenario, the sum of the heights of the cat, the mouse and the table equals 140 cm. In the second, by switching the position of the cat and the mouse, we have a total sum of 110 cm. By eliminating common variables and focusing on table height:
- Cat height – Mouse height + Table height = 140 cm
- Mouse height – Cat height + Table height = 110 cm
The magic happens and we discover that: 2 x Table height = 250 cmwhich, divided by two, gives us a table height of 125cm.
Do you feel the satisfaction of having solved a problem that gave students on the other side of the world a cold sweat? Take a moment to savor your intellectual triumph, and who knows, maybe you’re ready for new mathematical challenges!
