An interesting mathematical question
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If a gas station is 1 mile away from my house and the average person walks 5mph. Its a sunny day and no wind. Why does it take my dad 15 years to come back from the gas station?
lateral-thinking
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
If a gas station is 1 mile away from my house and the average person walks 5mph. Its a sunny day and no wind. Why does it take my dad 15 years to come back from the gas station?
lateral-thinking
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
If a gas station is 1 mile away from my house and the average person walks 5mph. Its a sunny day and no wind. Why does it take my dad 15 years to come back from the gas station?
lateral-thinking
$endgroup$
If a gas station is 1 mile away from my house and the average person walks 5mph. Its a sunny day and no wind. Why does it take my dad 15 years to come back from the gas station?
lateral-thinking
lateral-thinking
edited Dec 24 '18 at 7:48
Glorfindel
13.8k35084
13.8k35084
asked Dec 24 '18 at 0:25
Mohammad Zuhair KhanMohammad Zuhair Khan
838
838
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Apple maps accidentally sent him in the wrong direction. He is walking to the gas station across the globe the "long way". The circumference of the Earth is 24901 miles, so he had to walk $24901 - 1 = 24900$ miles.
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I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
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– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
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@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
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Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
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– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
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– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Assuming that the metrics provided are correct and your dad's intellect is not weak enough to take the long way as pointed in another answer(or any longer way for that matter), one possible solution is that you are living on a planet where 12 minutes is 15 years.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Well, there're a couple easy answers. First of all, let's concentrate on the word "average". Average person walks 5mph, but your dad isn't average is he? Oh no, far from it. So any length of time will be possible.
Another solution is "house". The gas station is a mile from your house, but where are you and your dad at? Another country probably. It's gonna take him some time to go all the way to that gas station and then back to where you are...
By the way, I saw some comments about people calculating how long it will take to walk around the Earth. Surely you don't expect a human to walk non-stop 24 hours a day? A hard hiking pace is about 20 miles per day, less if you're going uphill. Then you'll have to consider all the food you'll need to eat. Does the dad have money to just buy everything, or will he need to hunt? There are places that don't have any stores around, so he'll have to hunt / gather. Weather conditions may vary. The pace is dramatically reduced for all these considerations.
New contributor
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add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Apple maps accidentally sent him in the wrong direction. He is walking to the gas station across the globe the "long way". The circumference of the Earth is 24901 miles, so he had to walk $24901 - 1 = 24900$ miles.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Apple maps accidentally sent him in the wrong direction. He is walking to the gas station across the globe the "long way". The circumference of the Earth is 24901 miles, so he had to walk $24901 - 1 = 24900$ miles.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Apple maps accidentally sent him in the wrong direction. He is walking to the gas station across the globe the "long way". The circumference of the Earth is 24901 miles, so he had to walk $24901 - 1 = 24900$ miles.
$endgroup$
Apple maps accidentally sent him in the wrong direction. He is walking to the gas station across the globe the "long way". The circumference of the Earth is 24901 miles, so he had to walk $24901 - 1 = 24900$ miles.
answered Dec 24 '18 at 0:47
Display nameDisplay name
1,013217
1,013217
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
I'm assuming 24900 miles would take him 15 years?
$endgroup$
– iiRosie1
Dec 24 '18 at 0:49
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
$begingroup$
@iiRosie1 Probably 1 year if we're being reasonable. I'm just trying to come up with a funny solution.
$endgroup$
– Display name
Dec 24 '18 at 0:50
1
1
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
$begingroup$
Ninja'd... 24900 mi / 5(mi/hr)= 5880 hrs, or 245 days...about 8 months.
$endgroup$
– Zomulgustar
Dec 24 '18 at 0:51
2
2
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
$begingroup$
He may walk at 5mi/hr, but how fast does he swim? No great circle is on land entirely
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Dec 24 '18 at 0:56
1
1
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
$begingroup$
Or we can just say that my dad left. Its okay. I am a big boy now. I won't cry. Not at all. Definitely not. Okay maybe a little. Please stop. sob Dad, why did you leave? sob Why? Full on bawling ensures
$endgroup$
– Mohammad Zuhair Khan
Dec 24 '18 at 3:24
|
show 1 more comment
$begingroup$
Assuming that the metrics provided are correct and your dad's intellect is not weak enough to take the long way as pointed in another answer(or any longer way for that matter), one possible solution is that you are living on a planet where 12 minutes is 15 years.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Assuming that the metrics provided are correct and your dad's intellect is not weak enough to take the long way as pointed in another answer(or any longer way for that matter), one possible solution is that you are living on a planet where 12 minutes is 15 years.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Assuming that the metrics provided are correct and your dad's intellect is not weak enough to take the long way as pointed in another answer(or any longer way for that matter), one possible solution is that you are living on a planet where 12 minutes is 15 years.
$endgroup$
Assuming that the metrics provided are correct and your dad's intellect is not weak enough to take the long way as pointed in another answer(or any longer way for that matter), one possible solution is that you are living on a planet where 12 minutes is 15 years.
edited Dec 24 '18 at 5:35
answered Dec 24 '18 at 3:57
Chief AChief A
838
838
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Well, there're a couple easy answers. First of all, let's concentrate on the word "average". Average person walks 5mph, but your dad isn't average is he? Oh no, far from it. So any length of time will be possible.
Another solution is "house". The gas station is a mile from your house, but where are you and your dad at? Another country probably. It's gonna take him some time to go all the way to that gas station and then back to where you are...
By the way, I saw some comments about people calculating how long it will take to walk around the Earth. Surely you don't expect a human to walk non-stop 24 hours a day? A hard hiking pace is about 20 miles per day, less if you're going uphill. Then you'll have to consider all the food you'll need to eat. Does the dad have money to just buy everything, or will he need to hunt? There are places that don't have any stores around, so he'll have to hunt / gather. Weather conditions may vary. The pace is dramatically reduced for all these considerations.
New contributor
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Well, there're a couple easy answers. First of all, let's concentrate on the word "average". Average person walks 5mph, but your dad isn't average is he? Oh no, far from it. So any length of time will be possible.
Another solution is "house". The gas station is a mile from your house, but where are you and your dad at? Another country probably. It's gonna take him some time to go all the way to that gas station and then back to where you are...
By the way, I saw some comments about people calculating how long it will take to walk around the Earth. Surely you don't expect a human to walk non-stop 24 hours a day? A hard hiking pace is about 20 miles per day, less if you're going uphill. Then you'll have to consider all the food you'll need to eat. Does the dad have money to just buy everything, or will he need to hunt? There are places that don't have any stores around, so he'll have to hunt / gather. Weather conditions may vary. The pace is dramatically reduced for all these considerations.
New contributor
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Well, there're a couple easy answers. First of all, let's concentrate on the word "average". Average person walks 5mph, but your dad isn't average is he? Oh no, far from it. So any length of time will be possible.
Another solution is "house". The gas station is a mile from your house, but where are you and your dad at? Another country probably. It's gonna take him some time to go all the way to that gas station and then back to where you are...
By the way, I saw some comments about people calculating how long it will take to walk around the Earth. Surely you don't expect a human to walk non-stop 24 hours a day? A hard hiking pace is about 20 miles per day, less if you're going uphill. Then you'll have to consider all the food you'll need to eat. Does the dad have money to just buy everything, or will he need to hunt? There are places that don't have any stores around, so he'll have to hunt / gather. Weather conditions may vary. The pace is dramatically reduced for all these considerations.
New contributor
$endgroup$
Well, there're a couple easy answers. First of all, let's concentrate on the word "average". Average person walks 5mph, but your dad isn't average is he? Oh no, far from it. So any length of time will be possible.
Another solution is "house". The gas station is a mile from your house, but where are you and your dad at? Another country probably. It's gonna take him some time to go all the way to that gas station and then back to where you are...
By the way, I saw some comments about people calculating how long it will take to walk around the Earth. Surely you don't expect a human to walk non-stop 24 hours a day? A hard hiking pace is about 20 miles per day, less if you're going uphill. Then you'll have to consider all the food you'll need to eat. Does the dad have money to just buy everything, or will he need to hunt? There are places that don't have any stores around, so he'll have to hunt / gather. Weather conditions may vary. The pace is dramatically reduced for all these considerations.
New contributor
edited 1 min ago
New contributor
answered 11 mins ago
Vadim EvstifeevVadim Evstifeev
314
314
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
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