About Chanda Walker Expertise I can answer word problems involving mathematics at the high school and college level. I particularly enjoy calculus word problems. Please don't just type the math problem without comments. If you don't tell me what problem your having, I can't help.
Experience Have done word problems as a tutor and as a student of mathematics and physics for years.
Organizations Sigma Xi
Education/Credentials Optical Science PhD
Past/Present Clients I've answered hundreds of questions here at AllExperts.com in algebra, physics and general math sections.
Question QUESTION: Alice, Betty, Carol and Dorothy were lifeguard, a lawyer, a pilot or a professor. Each wore a white, yellow, pink or blue dress.
The lifeguard beat betty at canasta and carol and the pilot played poker with the women in pink and blue dresses. Alice and the professor envied the woman in the blue dress, but this was not the lawyer, as she always wore a white dress.
What was each woman's occupation and dress color?
pls help, with explanation/solution.
THanks so much
ANSWER: Here is what we know:
A (not a professor) (not blue) (due to mutual envy)
B (not a lifeguard) (played the lifeguard at Canasta)
C (not a pilot) (not pink not blue) (played the pilot/pink/blue at poker)
D
lawyer = white (always wore white)
pilot = not pink not blue not white (not a lawyer, played C/pink/blue at poker)
professor = not blue not white (not a lawyer, envied blue)
That is what I interpret from the text alone. Now the logic . . .
The pilot must wear yellow since all the other colors are ruled out. Now we know the professor must wear pink since yellow is taken. And finally the lifeguard is left with blue since that is the only color left.
A (not a professor) (not blue)
B (not a lifeguard)
C (not a pilot) (not pink not blue)
D
lawyer = white
pilot = yellow
professor = pink
lifeguard = blue
Now we know the color of the professions, we know A and C can't be a lifeguard. And we know C can't be a professor.
A (not professor not lifeguard) (not blue)
B (not lifeguard)
C (not pilot not lifeguard not professor) (not pink not blue)
D
lawyer = white
pilot = yellow
professor = pink
lifeguard = blue
That means that C must be the lawyer. And A can now only be the pilot. That means that B must be the professor. And finally D must be the lifeguard.
Alice is a pilot in yellow.
Betty is a pink professor.
Carol is a cool lawyer in white.
Dorothy is a true blue lifeguard.
Thanks for the fun problem! Let me know if I can help further.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Ms. Adams, Ms. Baker, Ms. Catt, Ms. Dodge, Ms. Ennis, and Ms. Fisk all went Christmas shopping one morning at emporium. Each woman went directly to the floor carrying the article that she wanted to buy, and each woman bought only one article. The purchases were a book, a dress, a handbag, a necktie, a hat, and a lamp.
All the women except Ms. Adams entered the elevator on the main floor. Two men also entered the elevator. Two women, Ms. Catt and the one who bought the necktie, got off at the second floor. Dresses were sold on the third floor. The two men got off at the fourth floor. The woman who bought the lamp got off at the fifth floor, leaving Ms. Fisk all alone to get off at the sixth floor.
The day after Christmas, Ms. Baker, who received the handbag as a surprise gift from one of the women who got off at the second floor, met her husband returning the necktie that one of the other women had given him. If books are sold on the main floor, and Ms. Ennis was the sixth person to get out of the elevator.
what did each of these women buy? how did u know? thanks
Answer Where are you getting these problems from? They are great fun. I'd like to have a whole slew of these to amuse my son.
A floor 0 book (didn't get on elevator)
B (not floor 2) (not handbag not necktie not book) (received handbag as gift, hubby got necktie from other women, A bought book, only handbag and necktie are on floor 2)
C floor 2 (not dress not book not lamp not necktie) (got off with necktie lady, dress/book/lamp sold on different floors)
D
E (4th woman out) (not book)
F floor 6 (not book not lamp not necktie) (got off on sixth floor)
book = floor 0 (books are sold on main floor)
necktie = floor 2
handbag = floor 2
dress = floor 3
lamp = floor 5
? = floor 6
Logic . . .
The hat must be on floor 6.
Since E was the 4th woman to get off, she got off above 2 and below 6. Since there were only 5 women to get onto the elevator, and one got off at floor 6, she must have gotten off at floor 5 where she purchased a lamp.
Now we know only D could have got off at the second floor. And so she must have bought the necktie because we know C did not. That leaves the handbag for C.
A book
B (not floor 2) (not handbag not necktie not book)
C handbag
D necktie
E lamp
F hat
All that is left is the dress for B.
A book
B dress
C handbag
D necktie
E lamp
F hat
Another fun one! I think I put all the details in there. Let me know if I skipped a few.
