That "99% will fail" part is pure clickbait. The correct answer could be 0, 2, 4, or 6, depending on how you parse the question. How do you fail this one? By guessing on odd number? This is really a language problem, not a math problem.Mathematics.
— Cliff Pickover (@pickover) September 18, 2023
This popular puzzle below has "gone viral" in the past, but I'm not sure why. Depending on interpretations, probably many answers are possible. Still, I wonder what the most common answer is. pic.twitter.com/1WNtD6xFiR
Answer is six. First sentence tells us that 'I HAVE six eggs', not 'HAD'. Everything after that is irrelevant.
ReplyDelete-"BB"-
That was my first reaction, too, Bill.
ReplyDeleteI am more tuned into language than in math, logic, or even cooking for that matter. People that focus on different aspects of this ridiculous riddle might come up with a different answer.
Due to the impermanence of all things, the eggs are merely a temporary construct of the universe.
ReplyDeleteI guess you might be able to eat an unbroken egg, but fry one?
ReplyDelete"I have 6 eggs" indicates a starting point for the puzzle in common street, not school teacher, vernacular. Like most math problems it gives you a snapshot of pieces in play.
ReplyDeleteThe girlfriend edits books and is frequently correcting my abuse of English. Ha, should have seen what I did to Latin.
As a former Math teacher, I would accept any answer you could justify. Why? Because any language has comprehension problems, which is why we use Math. A Math statement is unambiguous. Turning a word problem into a math statement is difficult. Not enough time is spent teaching that skill, even at the University level. This is unfortunate because all Real World problems are word problems. So, any solution must also include the assumptions made to reach that solution.
ReplyDeleteIn the problem given, "I have 6 eggs" is, in common Math World settings, the initial amount of eggs in the problem. But in the Real World, might be the end state of the process, as Bicycle Bill points out. Also, assuming each of the steps does or does not refer to different eggs must be stated as part of a Math problem.
Some possible solutions that fit the words:
1) I start with 6 eggs, I break 2, I fry the 2 I broke, I ate the 2 I broke then fried. 4 of the original eggs remain.
2) I start with 6 eggs, I break 2, I fry 2 with the shells still on, and then I swallow the 2 unbroken unfried eggs. So, no eggs in their original condition remain. (Hey, people do strange things)